Two-dimensional flexible nanoelectronics

Two-dimensional flexible nanoelectronics

17 Dec 2014 | Deji Akinwande, Nicholas Petrone & James Hone
Two-dimensional (2D) flexible nanoelectronics have emerged as a promising field, driven by the unique properties of 2D materials such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). These materials offer exceptional electronic, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties, making them ideal for flexible electronics. The discovery of hexagonal boron nitride as an ideal dielectric has enabled the development of integrated flexible nanoelectronics, which can leverage the unique properties of 2D crystals beyond conventional thin films. 2D atomic sheets are atomically thin, layered crystalline solids with intralayer covalent bonding and interlayer van der Waals bonding. They include graphene, TMDs, h-BN, and emerging monoatomic buckled crystals like silicene, germanene, and phosphorene. These materials are considered 2D because they represent the thinnest unsupported crystalline solids, possess no dangling surface bonds, and show superior intralayer transport of fundamental excitations. The portfolio of 2D materials is expected to grow as more elemental and compound sheets are discovered. The outstanding properties of 2D crystals have generated immense interest for both conventional semiconductor technology and flexible nanotechnology. Flexible nanoelectronics stand to greatly benefit from the development of 2D crystals because their unmatched combination of device physics and device mechanics is accessible on soft polymeric or plastic substrates. This enables the development of large-area high-performance flexible devices that can be manufactured at economically viable scales. The importance of mobility in flexible nanoelectronics is highlighted, with 2D materials offering higher charge mobilities compared to conventional thin-film transistors (TFTs). For example, large-bandgap TMDs like MoS₂ and WSe₂ offer experimental mobilities approaching single-crystal silicon TFTs, with two orders of magnitude thinner profiles and higher strain limits. Phosphorene, another 2D semiconductor, can afford even higher transistor mobilities, making it a significant advancement for TFTs. Graphene, despite lacking a bandgap, is highly attractive for flexible RF analogue TFTs due to its high charge mobility and saturation velocity. It has been used to demonstrate several RF circuit blocks such as frequency multipliers and multi-modulation wireless circuits. Non-transistor applications including transparent conductive films, heat spreaders, acoustic speakers, and mechanical actuators can also be enabled by flexible graphene. The development of 2D materials has led to significant progress in flexible nanoelectronics, with graphene TFTs achieving high intrinsic frequencies and robust performance under mechanical bending. The integration of graphene with semiconducting 2D crystals on the same flexible substrate can collectively fulfill all primitive electronic functions at the thin-film limit. Challenges remain in achieving high-frequency performance due to issues such as Joule heating, which can lead to peak temperatures exceeding the glass transition temperatureTwo-dimensional (2D) flexible nanoelectronics have emerged as a promising field, driven by the unique properties of 2D materials such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). These materials offer exceptional electronic, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties, making them ideal for flexible electronics. The discovery of hexagonal boron nitride as an ideal dielectric has enabled the development of integrated flexible nanoelectronics, which can leverage the unique properties of 2D crystals beyond conventional thin films. 2D atomic sheets are atomically thin, layered crystalline solids with intralayer covalent bonding and interlayer van der Waals bonding. They include graphene, TMDs, h-BN, and emerging monoatomic buckled crystals like silicene, germanene, and phosphorene. These materials are considered 2D because they represent the thinnest unsupported crystalline solids, possess no dangling surface bonds, and show superior intralayer transport of fundamental excitations. The portfolio of 2D materials is expected to grow as more elemental and compound sheets are discovered. The outstanding properties of 2D crystals have generated immense interest for both conventional semiconductor technology and flexible nanotechnology. Flexible nanoelectronics stand to greatly benefit from the development of 2D crystals because their unmatched combination of device physics and device mechanics is accessible on soft polymeric or plastic substrates. This enables the development of large-area high-performance flexible devices that can be manufactured at economically viable scales. The importance of mobility in flexible nanoelectronics is highlighted, with 2D materials offering higher charge mobilities compared to conventional thin-film transistors (TFTs). For example, large-bandgap TMDs like MoS₂ and WSe₂ offer experimental mobilities approaching single-crystal silicon TFTs, with two orders of magnitude thinner profiles and higher strain limits. Phosphorene, another 2D semiconductor, can afford even higher transistor mobilities, making it a significant advancement for TFTs. Graphene, despite lacking a bandgap, is highly attractive for flexible RF analogue TFTs due to its high charge mobility and saturation velocity. It has been used to demonstrate several RF circuit blocks such as frequency multipliers and multi-modulation wireless circuits. Non-transistor applications including transparent conductive films, heat spreaders, acoustic speakers, and mechanical actuators can also be enabled by flexible graphene. The development of 2D materials has led to significant progress in flexible nanoelectronics, with graphene TFTs achieving high intrinsic frequencies and robust performance under mechanical bending. The integration of graphene with semiconducting 2D crystals on the same flexible substrate can collectively fulfill all primitive electronic functions at the thin-film limit. Challenges remain in achieving high-frequency performance due to issues such as Joule heating, which can lead to peak temperatures exceeding the glass transition temperature
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