Skip to content Normally, when you design an electronic gadget, you worry about how hot it will get. Automotive-grade components, for example, often have higher allowable temperatures than commercial parts. However, extremely cold environments, such as deep space or the interiors of quantum computers, are also challenging. Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology believe gallium oxide may be key to operating near absolute zero. According to [Vishal Khandelwal], one of the researchers, most conventional electronics fail below -173C or 100K. Quantum computers routinely operate at 4K. However, β-Ga 2 O 3 is a wide-bandgap semiconductor that has low current leakage and works at high temperatures up to 500C. However, it also avoids the freeze-out effect that traps electrons in other semiconductor materials. The team built two devices from the material seeded with a silicon dopant. The first was a FET with a fin-shaped geometry. The second was an inverter.…