A microprocessor based on a two-dimensional semiconductor

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a 1-bit microprocessor built from a two-dimensional semiconductor, molybdenum disulfide, showcasing its potential for scalable, high-performance computing with 115 transistors on a novel material platform.

Contribution

It introduces the first 1-bit microprocessor using a 2D material, demonstrating complex circuitry with 115 transistors on molybdenum disulfide.

Findings

Successfully executed user-defined programs and logical operations.

Device is scalable to multi-bit data.

Most complex 2D material circuitry to date.

Abstract

The advent of microcomputers in the 1970s has dramatically changed our society. Since then, microprocessors have been made almost exclusively from silicon, but the ever-increasing demand for higher integration density and speed, lower power consumption and better integrability with everyday goods has prompted the search for alternatives. Germanium and III-V compound semiconductors are being considered promising candidates for future high-performance processor generations and chips based on thin-film plastic technology or carbon nanotubes could allow for embedding electronic intelligence into arbitrary objects for the Internet-of-Things. Here, we present a 1-bit implementation of a microprocessor using a two-dimensional semiconductor - molybdenum disulfide. The device can execute user-defined programs stored in an external memory, perform logical operations and communicate with its periphery. Importantly, our 1-bit design is readily scalable to multi-bit data. The device consists of 115 transistors and constitutes the most complex circuitry so far made from a two-dimensional material.