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Researchers at the J眉lich Research Center and the Leibniz Institute for Innovative Microelectronics (IHP) have developed a material that has never existed before: a stable alloy of carbon, silicon, germanium, and tin. The new compound, abbreviated as CSiGeSn, opens up exciting possibilities for applications at the interface of electronics, photonics, and quantum technology.

What makes this material special is that all four elements, like silicon, belong to Group IV of the periodic table. This ensures compatibility with the standard manufacturing method used in the chip industry鈥攖he CMOS process鈥攁 crucial advantage.

"By combining these four elements, we have achieved a long-standing goal: the ultimate Group IV semiconductor," explains Dr. Dan Buca from Forschungszentrum J眉lich. The study is in the journal Advanced Materials.

The new alloy makes it possible to fine-tune material properties to a degree that enables components beyond the capabilities of pure silicon鈥攆or instance, optical components or quantum circuits. These structures can be integrated directly onto the chip during manufacturing.

Chemistry sets clear limits here: Only elements from the same group as silicon fit seamlessly into the crystal lattice on the wafer. Elements from other groups disrupt the sensitive structure. The underlying process is called epitaxy, a key process in semiconductor technology in which thin layers are deposited on a substrate with atomic precision.

Dr. Buca's team, together with various research groups, had already succeeded in combining silicon, germanium, and tin to develop transistors, photodetectors, lasers, LEDs, and thermoelectric materials. The addition of carbon now provides even greater control over the band gap鈥攖he key factor that determines electronic and photonic behavior.

"An example is a laser that also works at room temperature. Many optical applications from the silicon group are still in their infancy," explains Dr. Buca. "There are also new opportunities for the development of suitable thermoelectrics to convert heat into electrical energy in wearables and computer chips."

For a long time, manufacturing such a material was thought to be virtually impossible. Carbon atoms are tiny while the tin atoms are large, and their bonding forces are very different. Only through precise adjustments to the production process was it possible to combine these opposites鈥攗sing an industrial CVD system from AIXTRON AG. No special apparatus was required, just equipment similar to that already standard in chip manufacturing.

The result was a high-quality material with a uniform composition. This also led to the first light-emitting diode based on so-called quantum well structures made from all four elements鈥攁n important step towards new optoelectronic components.

"The material offers a unique combination of tunable optical properties and silicon compatibility," says Prof. Dr. Giovanni Capellini from IHP, who has been working with Dr. Buca for more than 10 years to explore the application potential of new Group IV semiconductors. "This lays the foundation for scalable photonic, thermoelectric and quantum technology components."