An international team of scientists has achieved a groundbreaking feat, successfully transforming germanium, a widely used semiconductor, into a superconductor. This pioneering discovery, detailed in a study published in Nature Nanotechnology on October 30, 2025, marks a significant advance in materials science, potentially revolutionizing computing and quantum technologies by enabling electricity to flow with zero resistance in a common semiconductor.
The breakthrough, spearheaded by researchers from New York University (NYU), the University of Queensland, ETH Zurich, and Ohio State University, overcomes a decades-long challenge to imbue elemental semiconductors with superconducting properties.
A Decades-Long Scientific Pursuit Fulfilled
For over 60 years, scientists have strived to merge the capabilities of semiconductors, which are the backbone of modern electronics, with the efficiency of superconductors, which can conduct electricity without any energy loss. This combination has remained elusive, largely due to the difficulty of maintaining a stable atomic structure in semiconductors while introducing the necessary charge carriers for superconductivity. The new research demonstrates that this barrier has now been broken, with germanium exhibiting superconductivity at 3.5 Kelvin (approximately -453 degrees Fahrenheit or -269.5 °C).
The Ingenious Method: Precision Doping with Gallium
The core of this scientific achievement lies in an innovative and highly precise doping method. The team utilized molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to accurately incorporate gallium atoms into the germanium’s crystal lattice.
Overcoming Previous Limitations
Traditional doping techniques, which involve introducing foreign atoms to alter a material’s electrical properties, often lead to instability and breakdown of the crystal structure at the high concentrations required for superconductivity. The researchers, however, managed to substitute germanium atoms with gallium at higher-than-normal levels while preserving the crystal’s overall integrity.
The Role of Molecular Beam Epitaxy
According to Julian Steele, a physicist at the University of Queensland and co-author of the study, MBE allowed for the precise incorporation of gallium atoms into thin crystal layers. This level of atomic control was crucial to achieving the structural precision needed to understand and control the emergence of superconductivity in germanium. The slightly deformed yet stable crystal structure enabled the material to carry current without resistance.
Far-Reaching Implications for Technology and Beyond
The successful transformation of germanium into a superconductor holds profound implications for a wide array of technological applications, promising significantly enhanced performance and energy efficiency.
Revolutionizing Computing and Quantum Technologies
Javad Shabani, a physicist at New York University and director of its Center of Quantum Information Physics and Quantum Institute, emphasized that establishing superconductivity in germanium, a material already prevalent in computer chips and fiber optics, could revolutionize numerous consumer products and industrial technologies. This breakthrough is particularly significant for quantum computing, as it paves the way for scalable, “foundry-ready” quantum devices.
Integrating superconducting behavior into semiconductors like germanium could lead to the development of hybrid quantum devices that seamlessly combine superconducting and semiconducting regions. This is a critical step for future quantum circuits, sensors, and low-power cryogenic electronics.
Enhancing Energy Efficiency
The ability of superconducting germanium to conduct electricity with zero resistance means electric currents can circulate endlessly without losing energy. This could dramatically boost the performance of electronic devices while substantially reducing power consumption, addressing the escalating energy demands of AI training and large-scale computing. Potential benefits include smaller, more efficient data centers and extended battery life for devices.
Broader Applications
Beyond computing, the findings could impact wireless communications, aerospace systems, and various industrial applications. Superconducting circuits offer near-zero energy loss during data transmission, making them ideal for high-frequency communication systems, satellites, and radar technologies where efficiency and precision are paramount. Given that germanium and gallium are well-understood and commercially available materials, this discovery could accelerate industrial adoption compared to more exotic superconductors.
The research suggests a new era for high-performance electronic systems where the advantages of both superconductivity and semiconducting materials are harmoniously combined. This pivotal moment in condensed matter physics and materials science opens avenues for further exploration into achieving superconductivity in other elemental semiconductors, potentially fostering new waves of innovation across various industry sectors.
