Block (periodic table) elements that are commonly recognized as metalloids are in the p-block: boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, and tellurium. Metalloids tend to have lower electrical conductivity than metals, yet often higher than nonmetals. They tend to form chemical bonds similarly to nonmetals, but may dissolve in metallic alloys without covalent or ionic bonding. Metalloid additives can improve properties of metallic alloys, sometimes paradoxically to their own apparent properties. Some may give a better electrical conductivity, higher corrosion resistance, ductility, or fluidity in molten state, etc. to the alloy. Boron has many carbon-like properties, but is very rare. It has many uses,
Germanium-tin have already been demonstrated. In addition, germanium-tin light emitting diodes operating at room temperature have also been reported. Germanium-tin Germanium-tin is an alloy of the elements germanium and tin, both located in group 14 of the periodic table. It is only thermodynamically stable under a small composition range. Despite this limitation, it has useful properties for band gap and strain engineering of silicon integrated optoelectronic and microelectronic semiconductor devices. Germanium-tin alloys must be kinetically stabilized in order to prevent decomposition. Therefore, low temperature molecular beam epitaxy or chemical vapor deposition techniques are typically used for their synthesis. Germanium-tin alloys have