A new facet for germanium
Although silicon is the workhorse of the semiconductor industry, forming the basis for computer chips, camera sensors, and other everyday electronic devices, researchers and manufacturers add other materials, such as germanium, to boost silicon chip processing speed, cut power consumption, and create new functions, such as photonic connections that use light instead of electrical current to transfer data. Researchers have known for about a decade that dome-shaped empty spaces form in germanium when it is grown on top of silicon patterned with a dielectric material, such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride, that masks part of the silicon base. Now, MIT researchers have discovered a method to predict and control the length of tunnels in solid germanium by growing it on silicon oxide strips on top of silicon. These tunnels have potential to be used as light channels for silicon photonics or liquid channels for microfluidic devices. “We found a tunnel or...