AIBN Unlocks Semiconductor Superconductivity Using MBE
AIBN Researchers Create Superconductive Semiconductors, Solving a Decade-Old Physics Puzzle
AIBN Australian Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Institute Quantum computing has improved since AIBN researchers made a groundbreaking discovery. AIBN scientists achieved superconductivity in semiconductors, the “holy grail of quantum research” after solving a 60-year-old challenge.
Dr. Julian Steele successfully converted germanium, a semiconductor, into a superconductor. This approach enables groundbreaking quantum circuits. The discovery that a semiconductor can become a superconductor is crucial to quantum computing.
The Germanium Transformation
Germanium is a staple in advanced semiconductors and electrical devices. Dr. Steele and the research team "coaxed" germanium to carry electricity without resistance using precision crystal-growth procedures. They collaborated with New York University and the School of Mathematics and Physics.
For quantum scientists, this is like turning lead into gold. Dr. Steele said that germanium is commonly used in sophisticated manufacturing, making this technique a simple and encouraging way for the sector to adopt quantum technologies.
MBE Overcoming Imperfections Earlier attempts to directly introduce superconductivity onto semiconductor systems failed. These failures were often attributed to integration imperfections, structural instability, and atomic-scale defects.
AIBN researchers employed MBE as their “secret weapon” to solve these issues. MBE replaces ion implantation, a less precise process. This procedure allowed the scientists to correctly introduce gallium atoms to germanium's crystal lattice.
By using epitaxy to create thin crystal layers, Dr. Steele said they achieved the “structural precision needed to understand and control how superconductivity emerges in these materials”. The atomic-resolution image of a superconducting germanium gallium (Ge:Ga) trilayer with alternating Ge:Ga and silicon (Si) layers shows this important atomic interface control.
A Beautiful Synergy: Theory Confirmed
The breakthrough was validated and supported by theory. Dr. Carla Verdi of UQ's School of Mathematics and Physics explained how ordered atomic structure enables superconductivity.
Dr. Verdi's theoretical analysis shows that gallium atoms properly replace germanium lattice. This setup reshapes the electronic bands to “naturally supports superconductivity,” creating the event's electronic circumstances. Dr. Verdi called the result a “elegant example” of how “computation and experiment together can solve a problem that has challenged materials science for more than half a century”. She called the relationship “beautiful synergy of computation and experiment”.
Making Foundry-Ready Quantum Devices Possible Controllable semiconductor superconductivity has “massive” implications. Dr. Peter Jacobson of UQ's School of Mathematics and Physics said this discovery enables a “new era of hybrid quantum devices”.
These materials may support advanced quantum circuits, sensors, and low-power cryogenic electronics. Dr. Jacobson stressed that these applications require “clean interfaces between superconducting and semiconducting regions”. Germanium is a “workhorse material for advanced semiconductor technologies,” therefore confirming its superconductivity under controlled conditions allows for scalable, foundry-ready quantum devices.
Global Cooperation and Outlook
This crucial initiative involved UQ, NYU, ETH Zürich, and Ohio State University. The computational components used national high-performance computing, and the experiments were done at ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron.
After the successful conversion of germanium into a superconductor under controlled conditions, which opens the door to quantum computing, the world is eager about what intriguing technical breakthroughs may follow.
