Promises and prospects of two-dimensional transistors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors offer atomically thin channels for advanced transistor designs.
• Despite progress, the full potential and limitations of 2D transistors remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically assess the merits and technological limits of 2D transistors.
• To propose more reliable performance metrics for benchmarking 2D semiconductor devices.

Main Methods:

• Review of current research on 2D transistors.
• Analysis of commonly used device parameters (carrier mobility, contact resistance).
• Proposal and justification of on-state current density as a superior metric.

Main Results:

• Widely used parameters like carrier mobility and contact resistance may be unreliable for 2D transistors.
• On-state current density, particularly in the short-channel limit, offers a more robust measure of performance.
• Identified key challenges in optimizing 2D transistor components (channels, contacts, dielectrics, substrates).

Conclusions:

• On-state current density should be prioritized for evaluating 2D transistor performance.
• Addressing technical challenges is crucial for advancing 2D transistors from lab to fabrication.
• Exploiting atomically thin semiconductors presents significant opportunities for future electronics.