Semiconductors are key to the development of almost every electronic device. However, forming semiconductor materials from sand consumes a significant amount of heat-intensive energy, as it can only be done at extremely high temperatures.

In order to make this process more energy-efficient, researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley have developed ‘multielement ink’, the first ‘high-entropy’ semiconductor that can be processed at low or room temperature. 

“The traditional way of making semiconductor devices is energy-intensive and one of the major sources of carbon emissions,” said Peidong Yang, the senior author on the study. “Our new method of making semiconductors could pave the way for a more sustainable semiconductor industry.”

The new ink takes advantage of two types of semiconducting materials: hard alloys made of high-entropy semiconductors, and a soft, flexible material made of crystalline halide perovskites...