While silicon has propelled advancements in semiconductor technology through miniaturization, the need for new materials is essential due to scaling challenges. Two-dimensional (2D) materials, characterized by their atomic thickness and high carrier mobility, offer an exciting alternative. A leading researcher in Pennsylvania has successfully created a basic computer utilizing 2D materials.
This conceptual diagram of a 2D molecule-based computer features an actual scanning electron microscope image of a computer developed by Ghosh et al. Image credit: Krishnendu Mukhopadhyay/Penn State.
“Silicon has been at the forefront of significant electronic advancements for decades by enabling the ongoing miniaturization of field effect transistors (FETs),” states Professor Saptalcidas of Pennsylvania.
“FETs utilize an electric field to manage current flow, activated by applied voltage.”
“Nevertheless, as silicon devices shrink, their performance tends to decline.”
“In contrast, two-dimensional materials retain outstanding electronic characteristics at atomic thickness, making them a promising avenue forward.”
In the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) architecture, Professor Das and his team have engineered transistors from two different 2D materials to manage current flow effectively.
“In CMOS technology, coordination between N-type and P-type semiconductors is critical for achieving high performance with low energy consumption. This challenge has posed significant obstacles in surpassing silicon,” remarked Professor Das.
“Previous investigations have showcased small circuits using 2D materials, yet scaling these findings into complex, functional computers has proven challenging.”
“This marks a significant achievement in our research. We are the first to create a CMOS computer entirely constructed from 2D materials.”
Researchers have synthesized extensive sheets of disulfide and tungsten diselenide through metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). This manufacturing technique involves evaporating materials, initiating chemical reactions, and depositing them onto a substrate to fabricate each type of transistor.
Meticulous adjustments in device fabrication and post-processing steps enabled us to fine-tune the threshold voltages for both the N and P transistors, which facilitated the creation of fully operational CMOS logic circuits.
“Our 2D CMOS computers function at low supply voltages with minimal power usage and can execute basic logic operations at frequencies reaching 25 kilohertz.”
“Although the operating frequency is lower than that of traditional silicon CMOS circuits, a computer known as a single instruction set computer can perform fundamental logic operations.”
“We have also devised computational models calibrated with experimental data, accounting for inter-device variations and predicting the performance of 2D CMOS computers in comparison to top-notch silicon technology.”
“While there remains room for further optimization, this work represents a crucial milestone in harnessing 2D materials to propel advancements in electronics.”
The team’s research was published this month in the journal Nature.
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S. Ghosh et al. 2025. One instruction set computer based on complementary two-dimensional material. Nature 642, 327-335; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08963-7
Source: www.sci.news
