Two-dimensional crystals have emerged as a class of materials that may impact future electronic technologies. Experimentally identifying and characterizing new functional two-dimensional materials is challenging, but also potentially rewarding. Here, we fabricate field-effect transistors based on few-layer black phosphorus crystals with thickness down to a few nanometres. Reliable transistor performance is achieved at room temperature in samples thinner than 7.5 nm, with drain current modulation on the order of 10(5) and well-developed current saturation in the I-V characteristics. The charge-carrier mobility is found to be thickness-dependent, with the highest values up to ∼ 1,000 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) obtained for a thickness of ∼ 10 nm. Our results demonstrate the potential of black phosphorus thin crystals as a new two-dimensional material for applications in nanoelectronic devices.

Black phosphorus field-effect transistors

We introduce the 2D counterpart of layered black phosphorus, which we call phosphorene, as an unexplored p-type semiconducting material. Same as graphene and MoS2, single-layer phosphorene is flexible and can be mechanically exfoliated. We find phosphorene to be stable and, unlike graphene, to have an inherent, direct, and appreciable band gap. Our ab initio calculations indicate that the band gap is direct, depends on the number of layers and the in-layer strain, and is significantly larger than the bulk value of 0.31–0.36 eV. The observed photoluminescence peak of single-layer phosphorene in the visible optical range confirms that the band gap is larger than that of the bulk system. Our transport studies indicate a hole mobility that reflects the structural anisotropy of phosphorene and complements n-type MoS2. At room temperature, our few-layer phosphorene field-effect transistors with 1.0 μm channel length display a high on-current of 194 mA/mm, a high hole field-effect mobility of 286 cm2/V·s, and an...

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Phosphorene: An Unexplored 2D Semiconductor with a High Hole Mobility

BACKGROUND Materials by design is an appealing idea that is very hard to realize in practice. Combining the best of different ingredients in one ultimate material is a task for which we currently have no general solution. However, we do have some successful examples to draw upon: Composite materials and III-V heterostructures have revolutionized many aspects of our lives. Still, we need a general strategy to solve the problem of mixing and matching crystals with different properties, creating combinations with predetermined attributes and functionalities. ADVANCES Two-dimensional (2D) materials offer a platform that allows creation of heterostructures with a variety of properties. One-atom-thick crystals now comprise a large family of these materials, collectively covering a very broad range of properties. The first material to be included was graphene, a zero-overlap semimetal. The family of 2D crystals has grown to includes metals (e.g., NbSe 2 ), semiconductors (e.g., MoS 2 ), and insulators [e.g., hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)]. Many of these materials are stable at ambient conditions, and we have come up with strategies for handling those that are not. Surprisingly, the properties of such 2D materials are often very different from those of their 3D counterparts. Furthermore, even the study of familiar phenomena (like superconductivity or ferromagnetism) in the 2D case, where there is no long-range order, raises many thought-provoking questions. A plethora of opportunities appear when we start to combine several 2D crystals in one vertical stack. Held together by van der Waals forces (the same forces that hold layered materials together), such heterostructures allow a far greater number of combinations than any traditional growth method. As the family of 2D crystals is expanding day by day, so too is the complexity of the heterostructures that could be created with atomic precision. When stacking different crystals together, the synergetic effects become very important. In the first-order approximation, charge redistribution might occur between the neighboring (and even more distant) crystals in the stack. Neighboring crystals can also induce structural changes in each other. Furthermore, such changes can be controlled by adjusting the relative orientation between the individual elements. Such heterostructures have already led to the observation of numerous exciting physical phenomena. Thus, spectrum reconstruction in graphene interacting with hBN allowed several groups to study the Hofstadter butterfly effect and topological currents in such a system. The possibility of positioning crystals in very close (but controlled) proximity to one another allows for the study of tunneling and drag effects. The use of semiconducting monolayers leads to the creation of optically active heterostructures. The extended range of functionalities of such heterostructures yields a range of possible applications. Now the highest-mobility graphene transistors are achieved by encapsulating graphene with hBN. Photovoltaic and light-emitting devices have been demonstrated by combining optically active semiconducting layers and graphene as transparent electrodes. OUTLOOK Currently, most 2D heterostructures are composed by direct stacking of individual monolayer flakes of different materials. Although this method allows ultimate flexibility, it is slow and cumbersome. Thus, techniques involving transfer of large-area crystals grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), direct growth of heterostructures by CVD or physical epitaxy, or one-step growth in solution are being developed. Currently, we are at the same level as we were with graphene 10 years ago: plenty of interesting science and unclear prospects for mass production. Given the fast progress of graphene technology over the past few years, we can expect similar advances in the production of the heterostructures, making the science and applications more achievable.

2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures

The family of 2D transition metal carbides, carbonitrides and nitrides (collectively referred to as MXenes) has expanded rapidly since the discovery of Ti3C2 in 2011. The materials reported so far always have surface terminations, such as hydroxyl, oxygen or fluorine, which impart hydrophilicity to their surfaces. About 20 different MXenes have been synthesized, and the structures and properties of dozens more have been theoretically predicted. The availability of solid solutions, the control of surface terminations and a recent discovery of multi-transition-metal layered MXenes offer the potential for synthesis of many new structures. The versatile chemistry of MXenes allows the tuning of properties for applications including energy storage, electromagnetic interference shielding, reinforcement for composites, water purification, gas- and biosensors, lubrication, and photo-, electro- and chemical catalysis. Attractive electronic, optical, plasmonic and thermoelectric properties have also been shown. In this Review, we present the synthesis, structure and properties of MXenes, as well as their energy storage and related applications, and an outlook for future research. More than twenty 2D carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides of transition metals (MXenes) have been synthesized and studied, and dozens more predicted to exist. Highly electrically conductive MXenes show promise in electrical energy storage, electromagnetic interference shielding, electrocatalysis, plasmonics and other applications.

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2D metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) for energy storage

A very sensitive photodector based on molybdenum disulphide with potential for integrated optoelectronic circuits, light sensing, biomedical imaging, video recording or spectroscopy is now demonstrated.

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Ultrasensitive photodetectors based on monolayer MoS2.

We report the use of suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy ( S -MBE) to grow β -Ga 2 O 3 at a growth rate of ~1 µm/h with control of the silicon doping concentration from 5  10 16 to 10 19 cm -3 . In S -MBE, pre-oxidized gallium in the form of a molecular beam that is 99.98% Ga 2 O, i.e., gallium suboxide, is supplied. Directly supplying Ga 2 O to the growth surface bypasses the rate-limiting first step of the two-step reaction mechanism involved in the growth of β -Ga 2 O 3 by conventional MBE. As a result, a growth rate of ~1 µm/h is readily achieved at a relatively low growth temperature ( T sub ≈ 525 °C), resulting in films with high structural perfection and smooth surfaces (rms roughness of < 2 nm on ~1 µm thick films). Silicon-containing oxide sources (SiO and SiO 2 ) producing an SiO suboxide molecular beam are used to dope the β -Ga 2 O 3 layers. Temperature-dependent Hall effect measurements on a 1 µm thick film with a mobile carrier concentration of 2.7  10 17 cm –3 reveal a room-temperature mobility of 124 cm 2 V –1 s –1 that increases to 627 cm 2 V –1 s –1 at 76 K; the silicon dopants are found to exhibit an activation energy of 27 meV. We also demonstrate working MESFETs made from these silicon-doped β -Ga 2 O 3 films grown by S -MBE at growth rates of ~1 μm/h.

Silicon-doped $\beta$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ films grown at 1 $\mu$m/h by suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy

Mechanical exfoliated graphene, a monolayer of carbon atoms tightly packed into a two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal lattice, has recently been shown to be thermodynamically stable and exhibits astonishing transport properties, such as an electron mobility of ~15,000 cm2/Vs and an electron velocity of ~108 cm/s at room temperature However, this exfoliation process cannot form the basis for a large-scale manufacturing process Recent reports of large-area epitaxial graphene by thermal decomposition of SiC wafers have provided the missing pathway to a viable electronics technology An interesting question that remains to be addressed is whether the electrical properties of epitaxial graphene on SiC are essentially same as those in exfoliated graphene films For example, the well-known quantum Hall-effect (QHE), a distinguishing feature of a 2D electronic material system, is just beginning to be discovered in epitaxial graphene In this paper, we report on the observation of the QHE in gated epitaxial graphene films on SiC (0001), along with pronounced Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations in magnetotransport The last QH plateau is especially pronounced, even at temperatures as high as 70K, reaching the temperature limit of the present experimental setup

Adam T. Neal

Papers

Silicon-doped $\beta$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ films grown at 1 $\mu$m/h by suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy

Pronounced quantum hall-effect on epitaxial graphene up to 70K