A new semiconductor developed by US researchers reportedly boasts the world’s widest bandgap of more than seven electron volts (eV), and could lead to more efficient electric vehicles (EVs), power grids, and data centers.

The material was created by engineers at New York’s Cornell University. It is made from silicon-doped aluminum gallium oxide grown on sapphire. In addition, it has the widest bandgap reported for a semiconductor in working electronic devices.

Darrell Schlom, PhD, a materials science professor at Cornell University and senior author of the study, said the find beats the previous record of six eV. Reaching a bandgap of more than seven eV has been difficult because materials with wider bandgaps typically behave more like insulators.

“The first reaction I heard from my scientific friends was, ‘that’s impossible,’ he said. “I must admit that, at first, the result did seem too good to be true.”

Semiconductors are key for everyday electronics, including laptops, smartphones, and microwaves. Found in circuits, diodes, and transistors that keep these devices working efficiently. Their bandgap determines how much energy electrons require to move through the material.

Wider bandgaps allow materials to withstand stronger electric fields. This makes them useful for high-voltage applications where energy efficiency is crucial. Still, making the bandgap wider without losing conductivity has been difficult.

To tackle the challenge, the team designed thin films of aluminum gallium oxide with a technique known as suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy . It allows crystalline materials to be built up one layer at a time under carefully controlled conditions.

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