Germanium may not be a household name like silicon, its group-mate on the periodic table, but it has great potential for use in next-generation electronics and energy technology.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded a US $1.3 million grant to a team led by UCF researcher Debashis Chanda to fund the development of a next-generation infrared detector that could be used in fields as varied as night vision, meteorology and space exploration.