The exponential growth in computational demands has reached a critical inflection point where traditional silicon-based semiconductors face fundamental physical and thermal limitations. This comprehensive analysis examines the transformative potential of advanced materials—specifically silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and emerging graphene-based semiconductors—in overcoming performance bottlenecks that constrain contemporary computing systems. Through systematic evaluation of material properties, manufacturing feasibility, and performance characteristics, this research demonstrates that wide bandgap semiconductors offer superior thermal conductivity, electron mobility, and power efficiency compared to conventional silicon. The investigation synthesizes current literature to establish key findings: SiC exhibits threefold improvements in thermal conductivity (490 W/m·K versus silicon's 148 W/m·K) while maintaining superior electrical properties including higher breakdown voltage and electron saturation velocity; GaN demonstrates exceptional high-frequency performance capabilities with electron mobility exceeding 2000 cm2/V·s, enabling switching frequencies above 100 MHz; and graphene presents revolutionary potential with thermal conductivity exceeding 5000 W/m·K and electron mobility approaching 15,000 cm2/V·s, though significant bandgap engineering challenges remain. However, manufacturing analysis reveals substantial obstacles including processing costs 3-10 times higher than silicon equivalents, supply chain vulnerabilities particularly for gallium-based materials, and immature production processes, despite the silicon carbide market's projected growth from USD 802.93 million in 2024 to USD 2614.24 million by 2031 indicating strong industry confidence. The research concludes that hybrid integration approaches represent the most pragmatic pathway for advanced material adoption, enabling gradual technology transition while minimizing economic risks by combining advanced materials' performance advantages in specialized applications with silicon's cost-effectiveness for general computing functions, facilitating incremental adoption that scales with manufacturing capability development and market demand.
| Published in | World Journal of Materials Science and Technology (Volume 2, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12 |
| Page(s) | 31-45 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Silicon Carbide, Gallium Nitride, Wide Bandgap Semiconductors, Thermal Management, Computing Performance, Moore's Law, Semiconductor Materials
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APA Style
Madisa, M. K. (2025). Advanced Materials for Enhanced Computing Performance: Beyond Silicon Paradigms in High-performance Computing Systems. World Journal of Materials Science and Technology, 2(2), 31-45. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12
ACS Style
Madisa, M. K. Advanced Materials for Enhanced Computing Performance: Beyond Silicon Paradigms in High-performance Computing Systems. World J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 2025, 2(2), 31-45. doi: 10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12,
author = {Mayibongwe Kagiso Madisa},
title = {Advanced Materials for Enhanced Computing Performance: Beyond Silicon Paradigms in High-performance Computing Systems
},
journal = {World Journal of Materials Science and Technology},
volume = {2},
number = {2},
pages = {31-45},
doi = {10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.wjmst.20250202.12},
abstract = {The exponential growth in computational demands has reached a critical inflection point where traditional silicon-based semiconductors face fundamental physical and thermal limitations. This comprehensive analysis examines the transformative potential of advanced materials—specifically silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and emerging graphene-based semiconductors—in overcoming performance bottlenecks that constrain contemporary computing systems. Through systematic evaluation of material properties, manufacturing feasibility, and performance characteristics, this research demonstrates that wide bandgap semiconductors offer superior thermal conductivity, electron mobility, and power efficiency compared to conventional silicon. The investigation synthesizes current literature to establish key findings: SiC exhibits threefold improvements in thermal conductivity (490 W/m·K versus silicon's 148 W/m·K) while maintaining superior electrical properties including higher breakdown voltage and electron saturation velocity; GaN demonstrates exceptional high-frequency performance capabilities with electron mobility exceeding 2000 cm2/V·s, enabling switching frequencies above 100 MHz; and graphene presents revolutionary potential with thermal conductivity exceeding 5000 W/m·K and electron mobility approaching 15,000 cm2/V·s, though significant bandgap engineering challenges remain. However, manufacturing analysis reveals substantial obstacles including processing costs 3-10 times higher than silicon equivalents, supply chain vulnerabilities particularly for gallium-based materials, and immature production processes, despite the silicon carbide market's projected growth from USD 802.93 million in 2024 to USD 2614.24 million by 2031 indicating strong industry confidence. The research concludes that hybrid integration approaches represent the most pragmatic pathway for advanced material adoption, enabling gradual technology transition while minimizing economic risks by combining advanced materials' performance advantages in specialized applications with silicon's cost-effectiveness for general computing functions, facilitating incremental adoption that scales with manufacturing capability development and market demand.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Advanced Materials for Enhanced Computing Performance: Beyond Silicon Paradigms in High-performance Computing Systems AU - Mayibongwe Kagiso Madisa Y1 - 2025/11/26 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12 DO - 10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12 T2 - World Journal of Materials Science and Technology JF - World Journal of Materials Science and Technology JO - World Journal of Materials Science and Technology SP - 31 EP - 45 PB - Science Publishing Group UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjmst.20250202.12 AB - The exponential growth in computational demands has reached a critical inflection point where traditional silicon-based semiconductors face fundamental physical and thermal limitations. This comprehensive analysis examines the transformative potential of advanced materials—specifically silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and emerging graphene-based semiconductors—in overcoming performance bottlenecks that constrain contemporary computing systems. Through systematic evaluation of material properties, manufacturing feasibility, and performance characteristics, this research demonstrates that wide bandgap semiconductors offer superior thermal conductivity, electron mobility, and power efficiency compared to conventional silicon. The investigation synthesizes current literature to establish key findings: SiC exhibits threefold improvements in thermal conductivity (490 W/m·K versus silicon's 148 W/m·K) while maintaining superior electrical properties including higher breakdown voltage and electron saturation velocity; GaN demonstrates exceptional high-frequency performance capabilities with electron mobility exceeding 2000 cm2/V·s, enabling switching frequencies above 100 MHz; and graphene presents revolutionary potential with thermal conductivity exceeding 5000 W/m·K and electron mobility approaching 15,000 cm2/V·s, though significant bandgap engineering challenges remain. However, manufacturing analysis reveals substantial obstacles including processing costs 3-10 times higher than silicon equivalents, supply chain vulnerabilities particularly for gallium-based materials, and immature production processes, despite the silicon carbide market's projected growth from USD 802.93 million in 2024 to USD 2614.24 million by 2031 indicating strong industry confidence. The research concludes that hybrid integration approaches represent the most pragmatic pathway for advanced material adoption, enabling gradual technology transition while minimizing economic risks by combining advanced materials' performance advantages in specialized applications with silicon's cost-effectiveness for general computing functions, facilitating incremental adoption that scales with manufacturing capability development and market demand. VL - 2 IS - 2 ER -
Faculty of Business, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
