Germanium microprocessors combat power waste.

The next revolution in microelectronics is on the horizon: researchers at the University of Twente have discovered that germanene, a platinum-assisted material made of germanium atoms, can drastically reduce the power consumption of microprocessors and similar components. This not only makes technology more energy-efficient, but also significantly reduces heat generation.

At present, electrical devices lose a great deal of energy in the form of heat. The consequences are higher power consumption and defects caused by electronics damaged by overheating. The reason is that so-called topological insulators use many different materials at the same time, which increases electrical resistance and therefore heat generation.

Germanene behaves very differently: it consists of just a single element and therefore hardly heats up at all. Like conventional topological insulators, the material blocks current flow in its interior while allowing it on its surface. In addition, germanene takes up hardly any space in electronics, because its germanium atoms are arranged in a honeycomb lattice layer that is only one atom thick.

The material can also switch between “on” and “off” states. This makes it ideally suited for use in newly developed topological field-effect transistors with unique properties. Only recently, germanium was able to prevail once again over the previously used silicon in transistor technology (we reported). The semiconductor metal is therefore clearly on the rise in microelectronics and is definitely worth investing in.