Metal contacts to 2d-materials for device applications

Abstract

Atomically thin sheets of 2D-materials spanning over a reasonably large range of bad gap from zero in graphene to>6eV in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with a number of unique optical, electronic, and thermal properties offer a whole range of engineered nano materials for designing and fabricating novel devices not yet known in conventional bulk semiconductors. Being a monolayer, these materials are not only very well suited for flexible electronics but also from different categories of hetero structures–laterally as well as vertically for having access to control charge carrier transport besides optical activities via excitonic formations. The most advantageous part of these 2D layered materials is their extra sensitivity to atomic, molecular and nano particulate material species when present there making them extremely sensitive to detect species in concentration not possible in conventional sensor materials. In order to exploit all these superlative features of these highly sensitive material species it is equally challenging to apply the conventional device fabrication techniques for their device properties. The experimental work done in this context are examined here in this review to assess the current status and future prospects of these emerging novel material still awaiting for their applications in fields like printed micro/nano sensors, large area electronics and intelligence in upcoming fields of Internet of Things and other areas of robotics for instance in future.