Electronic Properties and Applications of Two-Dimensional Semiconductors

Two-dimensional semiconductors exhibit a unique combination of quantum confinement, tunable bandgaps and high carrier mobility that distinguish them from their bulk counterparts. In atomically thin layers, charge carriers are confined to a plane, enhancing many-body interactions and giving rise to pronounced excitonic effects, anisotropic transport and strong light–matter coupling. The ability to tailor bandgap energies through layer number, strain or chemical functionalisation enables their integration into field-effect transistors, photodetectors, light-emitting diodes and solar cells across a broad spectral range. Van der Waals stacking of disparate 2D crystals yields heterostructures with custom band alignments, while intrinsic anisotropy in low‐symmetry lattices offers polarisation‐sensitive optoelectronic response. Emerging applications extend to valleytronic devices, ultrafast nonlinear photonics and catalysis, where the high surface‐to‐volume ratio fosters efficient charge transfer. Despite challenges in large‐area synthesis, environmental stability and contact engineering, recent advances in defect control and heterointerface design continue to drive the field towards practical device architectures and scalable manufacturing.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have revealed pronounced nonlinear optical behaviour in layered silicon phosphide, demonstrating thickness‐dependent third‐harmonic generation with strong in-plane anisotropy. This finding underscores the potential of low‐symmetry 2D semiconductors for compact frequency‐conversion devices and polarisation‐selective photonic circuits. In parallel, investigations of layered silicon diphosphide have uncovered unconventional excitonic states bound along one-dimensional atomic chains, coupled with distinct phonon sidebands. Temperature-dependent optical measurements and ab initio many-body calculations confirm correlated exciton–phonon interactions and linear dichroism, positioning this material as a platform for exploring many-particle phenomena and excitonic physics in reduced dimensions.

Electronic Properties and Applications of Two-Dimensional Semiconductors publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electronic properties and applications of two-dimensional semiconductors across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Bandgap: The energy difference between the valence band maximum and conduction band minimum in a semiconductor, determining its optical absorption edge.

Carrier mobility: A measure of how quickly electrons or holes can move through a material under an applied electric field.

Exciton: A bound state of an electron and a hole held together by Coulomb attraction in a semiconductor or insulator.

Heterojunction: An interface formed between two dissimilar semiconductor materials, enabling tailored band alignments for charge separation or injection.

Anisotropy: Directional dependence of physical properties, such as electrical conductivity or optical absorption, arising from crystal symmetry.

References

1. 2D layered SiP as anisotropic nonlinear optical material. Scientific Reports (2021).
2. Unconventional excitonic states with phonon sidebands in layered silicon diphosphide. Nature Materials (2022).
3. Triboelectrification and Unique Frictional Characteristics of Germanium‐Based Nanofilms. Small (2023).
4. Multilayer 2D germanium phosphide (GeP) infrared phototransistor.. Optics Express (2021).
5. High-Performance Photodetectors Based on the 2D SiAs/SnS2 Heterojunction. Nanomaterials (2022).