School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha, China.
State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China.
Nature. 2021 Mar;591(7848):43-53. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03339-z. Epub 2021 Mar 3.
Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have attracted tremendous interest as atomically thin channels that could facilitate continued transistor scaling. However, despite many proof-of-concept demonstrations, the full potential of 2D transistors has yet to be determined. To this end, the fundamental merits and technological limits of 2D transistors need a critical assessment and objective projection. Here we review the promise and current status of 2D transistors, and emphasize that widely used device parameters (such as carrier mobility and contact resistance) could be frequently misestimated or misinterpreted, and may not be the most reliable performance metrics for benchmarking 2D transistors. We suggest that the saturation or on-state current density, especially in the short-channel limit, could provide a more reliable measure for assessing the potential of diverse 2D semiconductors, and should be applied for cross-checking different studies, especially when milestone performance metrics are claimed. We also summarize the key technical challenges in optimizing the channels, contacts, dielectrics and substrates and outline potential pathways to push the performance limit of 2D transistors. We conclude with an overview of the critical technical targets, the key technological obstacles to the 'lab-to-fab' transition and the potential opportunities arising from the use of these atomically thin semiconductors.
二维（2D）半导体作为原子薄的沟道吸引了极大的兴趣，这可能有助于继续推进晶体管的缩放。然而，尽管有许多概念验证的演示，2D 晶体管的全部潜力尚未得到确定。为此，需要对 2D 晶体管的基本优点和技术限制进行批判性评估和客观预测。在这里，我们回顾了 2D 晶体管的前景和现状，并强调广泛使用的器件参数（如载流子迁移率和接触电阻）可能经常被错误估计或误解，并且可能不是基准 2D 晶体管的最可靠的性能指标。我们建议饱和或导通电流密度，特别是在短沟道极限下，可能是评估各种 2D 半导体潜力的更可靠的衡量标准，并且应该用于交叉检查不同的研究，特别是当声称达到里程碑性能指标时。我们还总结了优化沟道、接触、介电和衬底的关键技术挑战，并概述了推动 2D 晶体管性能极限的潜在途径。最后，我们概述了关键技术目标、从“实验室到工厂”过渡的关键技术障碍以及使用这些原子薄半导体带来的潜在机会。
