The germanium-tin processor was fabricated at the Helmholtz Nano Facility, the Helmholtz Association's central technology platform for the manufacturing of nanostructures and circuits. Credit: Forschungszentrum Juelich Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich have fabricated a new type of transistor from a germanium–tin alloy that has several advantages over conventional switching elements. Charge carriers can move faster in the material than in silicon or germanium, which enables lower voltages in operation. The transistor thus appears to be a promising candidate for future low-power, high-performance chips, and possibly also for the development of future of quantum computers. Over the past 70 years, the number...