Indium Selenide (InSe) and why Silicon might soon be a thing of the past
For decades, silicon chips have powered everything from smartphones to supercomputers. But these chips are nearing their physical limits and scientists around the world have been racing to find alternatives. Enter indium selenide (InSe)—dubbed the “golden semiconductor” for its potentialto outperform silicon.
In July 2025, Chinese researchers announced what they claimed was game-changing advance: the mass-production of high-quality 2D indium selenide wafers, paving the way for a new generation of ultra-efficient electronics.
The Breakthrough
Research teams from Peking University (北京大学) and Renmin University (人民大学) recently announced that they had solved a critical problem: maintaining a perfect 1:1 atomic ratio of indium to selenium during production. Even tiny imbalances previously caused defects, crippling performance. Their innovation, a “Solid-liquid-solid” (SLS) method works like this:
- Liquid Bridge: Amorphous InSe film and solid indium are heated in a sealed chamber.
- Atomic Alignment: Vaporized indium forms a liquid layer that guides InSe atoms into perfectly structured crystals.
- Scalable Output: They produced 5cm wafers large enough for industrial use with unprecedented smoothness and purity.
Why It Matters: Performance Unleashed
Transistors built on InSe wafers smash records:
- Speed: Electrons move 2× faster than in silicon, enabling near-instant processing .
- Efficiency: Operates at ultra-low voltage (0.5V), slashing energy use by 66% compared to current chips .
- Tiny but Powerful: Enables 10-nanometer transistors (70,000x thinner than a human hair) that outperform Intel’s 3nm silicon tech.
Real-World Impact
This isn’t just lab hype. Indium selenide wafers could revolutionize:
- AI & Data Centres: Cut power-guzzling server farms’ energy bills by two-thirds.
- Smartphones: Extend battery life for days while boosting speed.
- Electric Vehicles: Enable faster, cooler-running chips for self-driving systems.
- Green Tech: Reduce global electronics energy demand.
Challenges Ahead
While promising, hurdles remain:
- Scaling Up: Current wafers are 5cm; industry-standard silicon wafers are 30cm.
- Manufacturing Costs: New production lines require massive investment.
- Global Competition: U.S., EU, and Asian tech giants are racing to develop rival materials.
The Big Picture
China’s breakthrough marks an important shift for China from chasing silicon parity with the West to defining the future. As Professor Liu Kaihui of Peking University states, this “breaks the bottleneck which has been holding back InSe for decades.” With prototypes already powering transistors, mass-market devices could emerge by 2030—ushering in an era of cooler, faster, more energy friendly tech.
*This breakthrough was published in Science on July 18, 2025.