Nanoelectronic devices based on 2D materials are far from delivering their full theoretical performance potential due to the lack of scalable insulators. Amorphous oxides that work well in silicon technology have ill-defined interfaces with 2D materials and numerous defects, while 2D hexagonal boron nitride does not meet required dielectric specifications. The list of suitable alternative insulators is currently very limited. Thus, a radically different mindset with respect to suitable insulators for 2D technologies may be required. We review possible solution scenarios like the creation of clean interfaces, production of native oxides from 2D semiconductors and more intensive studies on crystalline insulators.

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Graphene is a promising material for applications as a channel in graphene fieldeffect transistors (GFETs) which may be used as a building block for optoelectronics, high-frequency devices and sensors. However, these devices require gate insulators which ideally should form atomically flat interfaces with graphene and at the same time contain small densities of traps to maintain high device stability. Previously used amorphous oxides, such as SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 , however, typically suffer from oxide

We report electrical transport measurements made on alkylphosphonate self-assembled monolayers grown on nanometer-thin SiO2 on top of highly p-doped silicon. At small bias direct tunneling is characterized by a decay constant of β ≈ 0.7/carbon. At larger positive bias to the silicon (1.1–1.5 V) the current-voltage traces feature a prominent shoulder, reminiscent of a negative differential resistance. We attribute this feature to a significant reduction in trap-assisted tunneling, as supported by a simulation. Hence, organophosphonate monolayers are excellent model systems to study electrical transport through ordered structures; they also provide highly efficient electrical passivation of the SiO2/Si surface.