Wall Street's local newspaper is reporting that a boffin has come up with a mixture of substances that will give better chip performance than silicon. The Wall Street Journal said that boffins at the University of Delaware, US, have invented a mixture of silicon carbide and germanium which will perform better and at higher temperatures than the pure silicon currently used. If the reports are correct, this is a real breakthrough. Although silicon is common as muck on our planet, the type used by Intel and other semiconductor companies is not the kind you find on Brighton beach. ®