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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Turn a Common Semiconductor Into a Superconductor For The First Time

For decades, scientists have been searching for a way to combine the best of two worlds: semiconductors, the foundation of today’s electronics, and superconductors, materials that carry electric current with zero resistance. Each plays a vital role in modern technology, but merging their abilities into a single material has always been extremely difficult.

Now, a global research team has made a breakthrough once considered nearly impossible. They have successfully turned germanium, a widely used semiconductor, into a superconductor by precisely inserting gallium atoms into its crystal structure. This achievement marks the first-ever demonstration of superconductivity in germanium, unlocking new possibilities for faster, more efficient, and more powerful electronic and quantum devices.

Published in Nature Nanotechnology, the discovery represents a major step forward in materials science, quantum engineering, and next-generation computing.

Why This Discovery Matters

To understand the significance of this breakthrough, it helps to know what makes semiconductors and superconductors so important — and so different.

Semiconductors: The Brains of Modern Electronics

Semiconductors like silicon and germanium lie at the heart of:

  • computer chips

  • smartphones

  • solar panels

  • fiber-optic networks

  • consumer electronics

They conduct electricity only under certain conditions, allowing them to switch on and off — a property essential for digital logic.

Superconductors: The Perfect Conductors

Superconductors are materials that can carry electric current with zero energy loss. Once an electric current starts flowing in a superconductor, it can circulate forever. They power technologies such as:

  • MRI machines

  • quantum computers

  • particle accelerators

  • ultra-sensitive sensors

However, superconductors usually require complex materials or extremely low temperatures to work, which limits their practical use.

If a semiconductor could also behave like a superconductor, it would bridge both worlds — enabling electronic devices that run faster, cooler, and far more efficiently than anything available today.

That is exactly what this new discovery brings within reach.

The Breakthrough: Making Germanium Superconducting

Researchers from New York University, the University of Queensland, ETH Zurich, The Ohio State University, and other institutions worked together to achieve what scientists have attempted for decades: create a semiconductor that becomes a superconductor under controlled conditions.

What They Achieved

The researchers created a germanium film that:

  • carries current with zero resistance

  • becomes superconducting at 3.5 Kelvin

  • remains structurally stable even when heavily infused with gallium

  • matches the purity and control needed for advanced semiconductor manufacturing

In other words, they turned a common semiconductor into a material with superconductor-like abilities, while keeping it compatible with existing chip technologies.

Why Germanium?

Germanium is already widely used in:

  • advanced transistors

  • high-speed electronics

  • photonics (light-based circuits)

  • semiconductor research

It integrates well with silicon technology, making it ideal for large-scale manufacturing.

The Challenge

Germanium does not naturally become superconducting. To force it to behave like a superconductor, scientists must modify its crystal structure so electrons can pair up and flow without resistance.

This requires extremely precise control at the level of individual atoms — something that has only recently become possible.

How the Scientists Did It: Precision at the Atomic Scale

The researchers used a technique called molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to grow ultra-thin layers of germanium, then infused them with large amounts of gallium. This process is known as hyperdoping.

What Makes This Method Special?

Traditional doping methods — like ion implantation — are too rough and tend to damage the crystal. But MBE allows scientists to:

  • place atoms with near-perfect precision

  • maintain crystal stability

  • control the chemical environment

  • avoid defects that block superconductivity

By using advanced X-ray techniques, the team ensured gallium atoms replaced germanium atoms in the lattice rather than sitting between them. This substitution creates just the right conditions for superconductivity to emerge.

Why Gallium Works

Gallium is soft and commonly used in electronics. When incorporated correctly, it donates electrons that can help form the electron pairs needed for superconductivity.

However, too much gallium can destabilize the material. The team solved this by:

  • fine-tuning the temperature

  • controlling growth rates

  • analyzing atomic structure layer by layer

  • optimizing gallium concentration

This level of precision is what finally allowed germanium to exhibit superconductivity.

Expert Insights: Why This Matters for the Future

A Game-Changer for Quantum Technology

Javad Shabani, a physicist at New York University, explains that superconducting germanium could revolutionize both consumer electronics and quantum devices.

“Establishing superconductivity in germanium, which is already widely used in computer chips and fiber optics, can potentially revolutionize scores of consumer products and industrial technologies,” he says.

Because germanium already fits into semiconductor manufacturing pipelines, adding superconducting capabilities means future quantum devices could be:

  • easier to make

  • more scalable

  • more energy-efficient

  • more compatible with existing fabrication plants

Clean Interfaces for Better Quantum Circuits

Peter Jacobson from the University of Queensland emphasizes that many quantum devices require clean interfaces between superconductors and semiconductors.

“These materials could underpin future quantum circuits, sensors, and low-power cryogenic electronics,” he explains.

By creating superconductivity within a semiconductor itself, the need for complex interfaces reduces dramatically.

A New Platform for Cryogenic Electronics

Germanium-based superconductors could form the basis of next-generation cryogenic electronics — the electronics that run inside ultra-cold quantum computing machines. This could:

  • reduce energy demands

  • improve performance

  • increase reliability

  • simplify fabrication processes

How Semiconductors Become Superconductors: A Simple Explanation

To turn a semiconductor into a superconductor, scientists must encourage electrons to pair up. These electron pairs can move through a material without bumping into anything — meaning no energy loss.

But this is incredibly difficult in semiconductors because:

  • their atoms are tightly bonded

  • their electron density is low

  • they don't naturally allow electron pairing

By carefully inserting gallium atoms, the researchers increased the number of available electrons and slightly altered the crystal structure. This delicate tuning created conditions where electron pairs could finally form.

The superconductivity appears at 3.5 Kelvin, which is extremely cold, but manageable using standard laboratory cryogenic systems. Future improvements may push this temperature higher.

What This Breakthrough Makes Possible

This achievement opens the door to new technologies across multiple fields.

1. Scalable Quantum Computing

Quantum computers need materials that interact cleanly with superconducting circuits. Germanium is already a leading material for qubits (quantum bits). Making it superconducting simplifies the architecture dramatically.

2. Faster, Cooler Microchips

Integrating superconducting regions into semiconductor chips could:

  • reduce heat

  • increase speed

  • decrease power consumption

  • extend battery life

This could transform everything from laptops to supercomputers.

3. Energy-Efficient Data Centers

Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity. Superconducting components could slash their energy usage by reducing resistive losses.

4. Improved Sensors and Photonics

Superconducting germanium could power:

  • ultra-sensitive detectors

  • next-generation communication systems

  • faster optical circuits

5. Cryogenic Electronics

Many scientific instruments operate near absolute zero. Superconducting germanium could enable more efficient control electronics in these harsh environments.

A Team Effort Across Countries and Disciplines

This breakthrough was achieved through intensive collaboration between:

  • New York University

  • University of Queensland

  • ETH Zurich

  • The Ohio State University

  • Other global research centers

The work was partially supported by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Such interdisciplinary teamwork was critical because the discovery required:

  • materials science

  • quantum physics

  • semiconductor engineering

  • advanced characterization techniques

Looking Ahead: What Comes Next?

Although the discovery is groundbreaking, it is just the beginning. Scientists will now explore:

  • how to raise the superconducting temperature

  • how to integrate these films into actual chip designs

  • how to scale up manufacturing for industrial use

  • how superconductivity interacts with germanium-based qubits

  • how to create hybrid devices combining both properties

If these efforts succeed, the electronics industry could undergo its biggest transformation since the invention of the transistor.

We may one day see:

  • ultrafast processors with no heat loss

  • highly stable quantum computers

  • energy-free electrical circuits

  • new types of sensors and medical devices

This single discovery could influence computing, communication, energy, medicine, and national security technologies.

Conclusion: A New Era for Electronics and Quantum Technology

Turning germanium — one of the most widely used semiconductors — into a superconductor is a landmark achievement. It brings scientists closer to creating a new class of materials that combine the flexibility of semiconductors with the perfect conductivity of superconductors.

Thanks to precise atomic engineering, molecular beam epitaxy, and global collaboration, researchers have demonstrated that superconductivity can be engineered into a mainstream electronic material.

This discovery could reshape the future of:

  • microchips

  • quantum computers

  • sensors

  • communication systems

  • cryogenic electronics

In short, the ability to create superconducting germanium may become a foundation for the next generation of high-performance, ultra-efficient technology — a future where electronics are faster, cooler, and more powerful than ever before.

If the past century belonged to semiconductors, the next may belong to materials that merge semiconductor convenience with superconducting excellence. This breakthrough is a major step toward that future.

Journal Reference:

  1. Julian A. Steele, Patrick J. Strohbeen, Carla Verdi, Ardeshir Baktash, Alisa Danilenko, Yi-Hsun Chen, Jechiel van Dijk, Frederik H. Knudsen, Axel Leblanc, David Perconte, Lianzhou Wang, Eugene Demler, Salva Salmani-Rezaie, Peter Jacobson, Javad Shabani. Superconductivity in substitutional Ga-hyperdoped Ge epitaxial thin films. Nature Nanotechnology, 2025; DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-02042-8

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