Collaborative Research: Scalable Photo-patterning of Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials for Reconfigurable Microelectronics

现代电子学的进步很大程度上是由将微型器件制造和封装到集成电路中的成功推动的。最近出现的二维纳米材料能够实现独特且卓越的电子和光电电路功能，这对于超越硅的下一代微电子学来说是有希望的。实现这一愿景的一个关键挑战是缺乏能够大规模集成和生产基于二维纳米材料的微电子器件的制造方法。该奖项通过对可光图案化介质的基础研究来解决这一挑战，这可以实现可重构微电子器件的可扩展制造。光图案化方法适用于各种二维材料，以实现多种电路功能。可重构微电子学是实现人工智能和物联网等先进技术的关键组件。该项目增强了美国在这些关键领域的竞争力，并促进国家繁荣和安全。本科生、研究生和高级研究人员通过多学科实验室研究从该项目中受益，而公众则通过多方面的推广活动受益。该项目研究了一种基于可切换非易失性铁电门控的新型制造方法，以定义基本电子元件（例如p-n结）并在各种二维（2D）纳米材料中制造功能电子器件（例如逻辑门和光电二极管阵列）。该方法的重点是对 In2Se3 薄膜中的铁电相区域进行光图案化，这是一种与现有光刻程序兼容的可扩展工艺。这种方法的其他优点包括电路可重构性、保持材料晶格的原始性（因为 p-n 结形成中不会引入缺陷或掺杂剂）以及与卤化物钙钛矿等化学敏感材料的兼容性。该项目解决了成功实施该方法的关键科学问题，特别是 In2Se3 中光子诱导的相变动力学，作为光图案化过程的基本机制。获得的机理见解为优化工艺参数提供了重要指导。此外，还研究了铁电栅极的影响，重点是验证和理解由此产生的 p-n 结特性，例如势垒高度和空间电荷区域宽度，这对于器件原型设计至关重要。该项目是 In2Se3 和卤化物钙钛矿薄膜合成和表征专家之间的合作，涉及不同二维纳米材料系统的光图案化过程和铁电门控效应的研究，展示了这种可扩展方法在制造可重构微电子器件和电路方面的多功能性。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Advances in modern electronics have been largely driven by the success in fabricating and packaging microscopic devices into integrated circuits. The recent emergence of two-dimensional nanomaterials enables unique and superior electronic and optoelectronic circuit functionalities, which are promising for the next-generation microelectronics beyond silicon. A key challenge to realizing this vision is the lack of manufacturing approaches that are capable of integrating and producing two-dimensional nanomaterial-based microelectronics at a large scale. This award addresses this challenge through fundamental research on a photo-patternable medium, which can lead to scalable manufacturing of reconfigurable microelectronic devices. The photo-patterning method is applicable to various two-dimensional materials for versatile circuit functionalities. Reconfigurable microelectronics is a key component enabling advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things. This project enhances U.S. competitiveness in these critical areas and advances national prosperity and security. Undergraduate and graduate students and senior researchers benefit from this project through multidisciplinary laboratory research, and the general public benefits through multifaceted outreach activities.This project investigates a novel manufacturing approach, based on switchable non-volatile ferroelectric gating, to define fundamental electronic elements (e.g. p-n junctions) and to fabricate functional electronic devices (e.g. logic gates and photodiode arrays) in a wide range of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. This approach centers on photo-patterning the ferroelectric phase regions in In2Se3 thin films, a scalable process that is compatible with established photolithography procedures. Additional benefits of this approach include circuit reconfigurability, maintaining the material lattice pristineness as no defects or dopants are introduced for the p-n junction formations, and compatibility with chemically sensitive materials such as the halide perovskites. This project addresses a key scientific issue central to the successful implementation of this approach, particularly the photon-induced phase transition kinetics in In2Se3 as the fundamental mechanism underlying the photo-patterning process. The mechanistic insight obtained provides an important guide for optimizing the process parameters. In addition, the effects of the ferroelectric gating are studied with a focus on verifying and understanding the resulting p-n junction characteristics, such as the barrier height and the space-charge region width, which are critical to device prototyping. The project is a collaboration between experts in synthesis and characterization of In2Se3 and halide perovskite thin films and involves the study of the photo-patterning process and the ferroelectric gating effects on different 2D nanomaterial systems, demonstrating the versatility of this scalable approach in manufacturing reconfigurable microelectronic devices and circuits.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.