Silicon is a tetravalent metalloid element (atomic number 14) that forms the basis of most modern semiconductor technology and is a central topic across materials science, electronics, and solid-state physics. In crystalline form, it adopts a diamond cubic lattice, enabling precise control of its electronic band structure through doping with donors (e.g., phosphorus) or acceptors (e.g., boron) to create n- and p-type regions. Silicon’s indirect band gap, thermal stability, native oxide (SiO₂) formation, and compatibility with planar processing underpin integrated circuits, photovoltaics, and microelectromechanical systems, making it a foundational subject in research on electronic materials and device engineering.
Manchester's quantum researchers are building on the Ferranti Mark I legacy, using ultra-pure silicon and single atoms to move quantum computing closer to real-world impact.
Quantum Physics
Jul 23, 2026
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Researchers in the UC Santa Barbara Materials Department have uncovered the elusive quantum mechanism by which energetic electrons break chemical bonds inside microelectronic devices—a detrimental process that slowly degrades ...
Condensed Matter
Apr 19, 2026
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An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, has demonstrated a fundamentally new way to make silicon emit light—overcoming one of the most persistent limitations in modern ...
Nanophysics
Apr 8, 2026
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While traditional printer pigments fade and most structural color can't be printed, Kobe University material engineer Sugimoto Hiroshi has been working on nothing short of a revolution in the way color is produced.
Nanomaterials
Apr 6, 2026
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Silicon is ubiquitous in modern electronics, and now it is becoming increasingly useful in quantum computing. In particular, silicon's compatibility with existing chip technology and its long coherence times in silicon-based ...
Quantum technologies, computers or other devices that operate leveraging quantum mechanical effects, rely on the precise control of light and matter. Over the past decades, quantum physicists and material scientists have ...
For nearly two decades, two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have been studied as a complement or possible successor to silicon transistors, promising smaller, faster and more energy-efficient processors. To ease their production ...
Nanomaterials
Feb 27, 2026
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In order to scale quantum computers, more qubits must be added and interconnected. However, prior attempts to do this have resulted in a loss of connection quality, or fidelity. But, a new study published in Nature details ...
Most modern semiconductors are fabricated of or on silicon (Si), but as devices get smaller and denser, they dissipate more power and, as a result, are reaching their physical limits. Germanium (Ge)—once used in the first ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 24, 2025
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Transistors, the building blocks of modern electronics, are typically made of silicon. Because it's a semiconductor, this material can control the flow of electricity in a circuit. But silicon has fundamental physical limits ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 23, 2025
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