Atom-thick semiconductors for scaled-down electronics

The technique can be used to create thin films on a scale large enough to coat wafers that are two inches wide, or larger.

‘This could be used to scale current semiconductor technologies down to the atomic scale – lasers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), computer chips, anything,’ said Dr. Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and senior author of a paper on the work.

The researchers worked with molybdenum sulphide (MoS2), an semiconductor material with electronic and optical properties similar to materials already used in the semiconductor industry. MoS2 is different from other semiconductor materials because it can be grown in layers one atom thick without compromising its properties.

In the new technique, researchers place sulphur and molybdenum chloride powders in a furnace and raise the temperature to 850°C, which vaporises the powder. The two substances react at high temperatures to form MoS2. While still under high temperatures, the vapour is then deposited in a thin layer onto the substrate.