"Atomically Thin Transistors: The Future of Computer Chips?"
Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich have developed a new type of transistor made from a germanium-tin alloy that has several advantages over conventional silicon-based switching elements. The germanium-tin transistor exhibits an electron mobility that is 2.5 times higher than a comparable transistor made of pure germanium, enabling lower voltages in operation. The transistor is a promising candidate for future low-power, high-performance chips, and possibly also for the development of future quantum computers. The germanium-tin transistor is also a further step towards optical on-chip data transmission.