Semiconductor Choice

At our first meeting of the semester, my advisor recommended exploring the potential of II-VI semiconductors (see the II-VI group in Wikipedia’s table of semiconductors) using wet processing methods. Doping silicon at home would require either a particle accelerator for ion implantation or furnace and gas delivery mechanism for diffusion, and the standard processing techniques are quite involved. Graphene also requires a furnace and gas, and I’m unsure what processing methods would be necessary. While it’s feasible to flow hydrogen gas through a low pressure furnace heated to 800 degrees Celsius in the lab, making that process safe and simple enough for home use is a challenge probably best met by someone else. The only previous work directly related to semiconductor fabrication from a rapid prototyping device that I’m aware of used organic semiconductors.  We may eventually be able to swap in organic semiconductors, as they can be just as easily handled as particles in a solvent, but at the moment II-VI semiconductors seem to be the best option for us.