This makes it possible to build simple logic circuits but also memory storage. The transistor is the basis of every modern electronic device: it is a tiny component that either allows current to flow or blocks the flow of current - depending on whether or not an electrical voltage is applied to a control electrode. The special properties of germanium and the use of dedicated program gate electrodes made it possible to create a prototype for a new component that may usher in a new era of chip technology.Īn additional control electrode changes everything It has been presented in the journal ' ACS Nano'. This was a success: The most flexible transistor in the world has now been produced using germanium. In order to achieve this, scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) did not rely on the usual silicon technology, but on germanium. This fundamentally changes the possibilities of chip design and opens up completely new opportunities in the field of artificial intelligence, neural networks or even logic that works with more values than just 0 and 1. In the future, however, more flexibility will be possible: New types of adaptive transistors can be dynamically switched during run-time to perform different logical tasks. Normally, computer chips consist of electronic components that always do the same thing.

Image: In addition to the usual control gate (red) there is also a program gate (blue).

Germanium transistor