Doping‐Free Monolithic 2D CMOS Logic by Fermi‐Level Engineering via Tellurium Buffer‐Layer
2D semiconductors hold great potential for post-Moore complementary-metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. However, the doping-free CMOS logic circuits utilizing identical 2D semiconductors pose a critical challenge in achieving efficient metal-dependent polarity modulation, predominantly due to interface defects and Fermi-level pinning (FLP) caused by metallization-induced chemical interactions. Here, a doping-free CMOS fabrication strategy is reported that employs a tellurium (Te) buffer-layer-assisted thermal deposition of the same metal to enable complementary polarity transport on the same 2D semiconductor. By introducing a sacrificial Te buffer-layer onto the 2D semiconductors prior to the thermal deposition of metal and subsequent controlled annealing for its complete removal, the created quasi-van der Waals (vdW) metal-semiconductor interface achieves work-function-dependent polarity control. This contrasts with conventional deposited contacts that lead to FLP-dominated n-type behavior. By utilizing high-work-function Au metal to modulate the polarity of the same 2D semiconductor, the fabricated CMOS inverter realizes a voltage gain of 165 at a 5 V bias and a 95% total noise margin. Importantly, this technique is readily applicable to scalable, industry-compatible CMOS devices manufacturing while concurrently optimizing interfacial charge transport characteristics, demonstrating back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatibility. This study establishes a foundational framework for 3D monolithic integration through Fermi-level engineering, paving the way for next-generation vertically integrated nanoelectronics.
Authors
- Hao Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4283-0243)
- Lingan Kong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5300-3174)
- Lei Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5465-610X)
- Shen Lai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7641-972X)
- Qijie Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4252-7997)
- Wenbo Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0741-9210)
- Shi Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6889-187X)
- Jiwei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3054-6835)
- Xiaolong Meng
- Xiaowei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1573-0159)
Institutions
- Liaoning University (CN)
- University of Macau (MO)
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-11-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202511473
- Primary Topic
- 2D Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00