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Germanium Becomes Superconducting at 3.5 K in Epitaxial, Gallium‑Doped Films

The X‑ray‑assisted growth preserves crystal order to form wafer‑scale interfaces suited to quantum hardware.

Overview

  • An international team reports in Nature Nanotechnology that heavy gallium doping of epitaxial germanium produces zero‑resistance superconductivity.
  • Molecular beam epitaxy with advanced X‑ray techniques forces gallium atoms to substitute into the germanium lattice at high concentrations.
  • The films exhibit superconductivity at about 3.5 kelvin, confirming stable, substitutional Ga‑hyperdoped germanium.
  • The method yields uniform crystalline boundaries between superconducting and semiconducting layers, enabling stacked structures and wafer‑scale Josephson junction arrays.
  • Researchers highlight promise for quantum circuits, sensors and low‑power cryogenic electronics, while experts note the required ultra‑cold operation limits consumer uses for now but aligns with quantum computing environments.