China-born scientist targeted by US ‘discovers world’s best semiconductor’

MIT professor Gang Chen and colleagues say cubic boron arsenide conducts heat 10 times better than silicon. Chen was investigated under a US government programme for allegedly hiding connections to China, but the charges against him were dropped earlier this year. — SCMP

China-born MIT professor Gang Chen, whose name was cleared earlier this year following a high-profile investigation into his alleged China ties, has led a team to discover what they say is the best semiconductor ever found.

In a paper published in the journal Science last month, Chen and colleagues said that a material known as cubic boron arsenide could conduct heat 10 times better than silicon, the most widely used semiconductor.