When it comes to semiconductors, silicon is the most widely used material. It’s highly and easily available throughout the earth, and silicon wafer suppliers have specialized in handling this material to take advantage of economies of scale and optimize supply chains.
That's why, whenever a new effective substrate emerges, professionals aren’t quick to throw away all their life’s work and take on the new material. However, the truth is that there are more effective semiconductors out there.
So, we wanted to ask ourselves, what’s the best material for semiconductors besides silicon?
While silicon offers numerous benefits and a wide availability that makes it economically advantageous, the truth is that there are various materials that can perform much better than silicon. For example, GaAs wafers are much more effective for devices that involve radiofrequency.
Moreover, researchers have discovered a material called cubic boron arsenide, which is said to be the best semiconductor material ever found. Cubic boron arsenide provides high mobility to both electrons and holes, and it has excellent thermal conductivity.
Most semiconductors have good electron mobility but poor hole mobility. That’s the case for silicon, and other materials such as gallium arsenide.
Cubic boron arsenide has only been produced and evaluated in inconsistent, small-scale lab batches thus far. This indicates that researchers haven’t found economical and practical ways to make it.
That’s why silicon has nothing to fear yet. Nevertheless, paying attention to new discoveries is something that we consider fundamental here at Wafer World. Reach out and keep an eye on what’s happening in the semiconductor industry!
