The onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, which started in early 2020, caused a chip crisis in many sectors, especially in the automobile and computer world. In fact, the international credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s announced that the semiconductor crisis would continue for 2 years.
Most major companies predicted that the chip shortage would end this year, in 2022, but Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger thought it would end in 2023 at the earliest. While the thoughts about when the chip crisis will end are announced, companies are trying to find solutions to this crisis. Last month, one of the technology giants, Samsung, announced that it has allocated a budget of 355 billion dollars for strategic work involving semiconductors and next-generation technologies over the next five years. Scientists continue to work to find a solution to this problem.
This material is the best semiconductor material ever found
Silicon is one of the most abundant elements in the world, and in its pure form it is the basis of many technological materials, such as semiconductor material, computer chips. However, the properties of silicon as a semiconductor are actually quite far from ideal. This is largely because silicon adapts very little to the positively charged counterparts of electrons.
This feature of silicon, which is incapable of carrying heat, is one of the main causes of overheating problems common in computers. A team of scientists from MIT, the University of Houston and other institutions, conducting research on various subjects, discovered a material that will eliminate this problem of silicon.
It was discovered that this material, called cubic boron arsenite, both adapts well to the positively charged counterparts of electrons and remains extremely sufficient to carry heat. According to the researchers, this material is the best semiconductor material, and perhaps the best, ever found.
The thermal conductivity of cubic boron arsenite is 10 times greater than that of silicon
The boron arsenite in the photo above has only been tested in laboratory-scale experiments so far. As a result of these tests, using special methods developed by MIT, scientists discovered that the thermal conductivity of this material is almost 10 times greater than that of silicon.
Stating that more studies are needed to determine whether cubic boron arsenide can be used to replace the ubiquitous silicon in a practical, economical way, the researchers claim that they may soon find some uses where the material’s unique properties will make a significant difference.
The thermal conductivity of the material is very good for any semiconductor, and the scientists also explained that this material has the third best thermal conductivity, after diamond and cubic boron nitride. The researchers explained that even if they found the great potential of this material, they did not know whether or where it would actually be used.
Explaining that they need better materials and more scientists to develop different ways to make this practical in the market, the team also wonders whether the necessary funding will be provided to make this work better.
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