Metalloid nanocrystals may enable lithium-ion batteries to be replaced by more powerful sodium ion batteries. Tellurium, which is a semiconductor in its standard state, is used mainly as a component in type II/VI semiconducting-chalcogenides; these have applications in electro-optics and electronics. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is used in solar modules for its high conversion efficiency, low manufacturing costs, and large band gap of 1.44 eV, letting it absorb a wide range of wavelengths. Bismuth telluride (BiTe), alloyed with selenium and antimony, is a component of thermoelectric devices used for refrigeration or portable power generation. Five metalloids—boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, and antimony—can be
Silicon-germanium silicon-only technology. Silicon Germanium-on-insulator (SGOI) is a technology analogous to the Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology currently employed in computer chips. SGOI increases the speed of the transistors inside microchips by straining the crystal lattice under the MOS transistor gate, resulting in improved electron mobility and higher drive currents. SiGe MOSFETs can also provide lower junction leakage due to the lower band gap value of SiGe. However, a major issue with SGOI MOSFETs is the inability to form stable oxides with silicon germanium using standard silicon oxidation processing. A silicon germanium thermoelectric device, MHW-RTG3, was used in the Voyager 1 and 2