The resurrection of tellurium as an elemental two-dimensional semiconductor

Abstract

The graphene boom has triggered a widespread search for novel elemental van der Waals materials thanks to their simplicity for theoretical modeling and easy access for material growth. Group VI element tellurium is an unintentionally p-type doped narrow bandgap semiconductor featuring a one-dimensional chiral atomic structure which holds great promise for next-generation electronic, optoelectronic, and piezoelectric applications. In this paper, we first review recent progress in synthesizing atomically thin Te two-dimensional (2D) films and one-dimensional (1D) nanowires. Its applications in field-effect transistors and potential for building ultra-scaled Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) circuits are discussed. We will also overview the recent study on its quantum transport in the 2D limit and progress in exploring its topological features and chiral-related physics. We envision that the breakthrough in obtaining high-quality 2D Te films will inspire a revisit of the fundamental properties of this long-forgotten material in the near future.

Evaporated nanometer chalcogenide films for scalable high-performance complementary electronics

“…The fabrication of high-mobility p-type semiconductors by an inexpensive scalable method is also an urgent task in the electronics community 11 , 45 , 46 . Among different candidates, element chalcogenide Te is receiving increased attention owing to its high hole mobility and remarkable stability 23 . Thermal evaporation of Te TFT at a cryogenic temperature of −80 °C was reported to yield a uniform Te channel layer with a large domain size 21 .…”

“…The exploration of high-mobility p-type semiconductors capable of large-area deposition in a low-temperature and cost-effective manner has received substantial attention owing to the highly advanced n-channel TFT technology. Te is becoming an emerging candidate for creating high-performance, stable p-channel transistors 23 . Thermal evaporation provides a simple means to grow scalable, high-quality Te films for laboratory and industrial applications.…”

“…Bi 2 S 3 has been studied extensively in photoelectric and thermoelectric devices benefiting from the suitable optical bandgap of 1.3–1.7 eV and high heat/electricity conversion 13 , 17 – 20 . As a p-type candidate, tellurium (Te) has recently attracted substantial attention for high-performance TFT fabrication owing to its high hole mobility and stability 21 – 23 . In the efforts to deposit (metal)chalcogenide thin films over a large area in a cost-effective manner, the main attention has been paid to the solution process 24 – 27 .…”

Controlled Synthesis of Tellurium Nanowires

“…The use of semiconducting nanowires in fields such as gas sensors, solar cells, electronic devices, and opto-electronic devices [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] has gained significant interest in recent years. Nanostructured tellurium, selenium, and their alloys have shown unique electrical and optical properties [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Trigonal Te is a semiconductor material that possesses a narrow and nearly direct band gap (i.e., the difference between the direct and indirect bandgap is smaller than the thermal energy at room temperature) of 0.35 eV [ 9 ], and interestingly it has a highly anisotropic growth tendency due to the existence of helical chains of covalently bond atoms [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Electroless deposition of tellurium nanowires in eutectic solvents using immobilised silver islands

“…1,2 Te nanostructures outperform analogous bulk materials, leading to a sizeable interest in developing new means of producing low-dimensional materials. 3,4 Nanowires are commonly made via solvothermal synthesis, which give low order structures at good yields, but also requires complex and costly high temperature and vacuum conditions to achieve a reasonable efficiency. 5 Electrodeposition through a porous template can produce ordered arrays of similar wires, though challenges of pore lling can hinder growth, particularly for depositions into pores on the order of tens of nanometers.…”