A Researcher's Perspective on Unconventional Lab-to-Fab for 2D Semiconductor Devices

Current silicon technology is on the verge of reachingits performancelimits. This aspect, coupled with the global chip shortage, makesa solid case for steering our attention toward the accelerated commercializationof other electronic materials. Among the available suite of emergingelectronic materials, two-dimensional materials, including transitionmetal dichalcogenides (TMDs), exhibit improved short-channel effects,high electron mobility, and integration into CMOS-compatible processing.While these materials may not be able to replace silicon at the currentstages of development, they can supplement Si in the form of Si-compatibleCMOS processing and be manufactured for tailored applications. However,the major hurdle in the path of commercialization of such materialsis the difficulty in producing their wafer-scale forms, which arenot necessarily single crystalline but on a large scale. Recent butexploratory interest in 2D materials from industries, such as TSMC,necessitates an in-depth analysis of their commercialization potentialbased on trends and progress in entrenched electronic materials (Si)and ones with a short-term commercialization potential (GaN, GaAs).We also explore the possibility of unconventional fabrication techniques,such as printing, for 2D materials becoming more mainstream and beingadopted by industries in the future. In this Perspective, we discussaspects to optimize cost, time, thermal budget, and a general pathwayfor 2D materials to achieve similar milestones, with an emphasis onTMDs. Beyond synthesis, we propose a lab-to-fab workflow based onrecent advances that can operate on a low budget with a mainstreamfull-scale Si fabrication unit.

Automated summary

The current silicon technology is at its performance limits and the global chip shortage encourages the commercialization of other electronic materials. Among them, two-dimensional materials like TMDs show potential to supplement silicon in CMOS processing. However, the difficulty in producing large-scale wafer forms is a major hurdle. This perspective discusses the commercialization potential of 2D materials, explores unconventional fabrication techniques, and proposes a lab-to-fab workflow for TMDs.