Atomically Thin 2D Semiconductors for Integrated Circuits

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, especially transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), have potential to shrink transistors beyond the scaling limits of silicon. Unlike silicon, which suffers from degraded performance at channel thickness < 12 nm, 2D materials are "dangle-bond-free," meaning their surfaces are naturally stable and less prone to defects. This allows them to maintain high carrier mobility and low leakage currents even at atomically thin channel thickness. Wafer-scale growth of monolayer TMD material has been demonstrated and prototype transistors have shown feasibility of outperforming conventional transistors. However, their industrial adoption requires optimization for industrial manufacturing, integration with semiconductor foundry processes, and standardized methods for characterizing material properties and device performance.