Prof. Dr. Marcelo N.P. Carreno
Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (Poli/USP)
New Materials for New Microelectronics, Devices and Applications
As silicon CMOS scaling approaches fundamental physical limits, related to quantum tunneling, short-channel effects, and thermal dissipation constraints, it is essential to review new materials presenting the greatest potential to replace Si, if not in all, at least in some technological niches. Five principal material classes have emerged as promising candidates: (1) two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), (2) wide-bandgap (WBG) and ultra-wide-bandgap (UWBG) semiconductors including GaN, SiC, and Ga₂O₃ (Eɡ ≈ 4.5–4.9 eV), (3) halide perovskites, (4) organic semiconductors based on conjugated polymers and small molecules and (5) neuromorphic/spintronic materials.
These materials enable transformative device architecture for diverse target applications as: high-voltage power switches and deep-UV optoelectronics, 2D TFETs for RF, microwave and terahertz electronics; flexible perovskite and 2D devices for wearable sensors and on-skin systems; 2D spintronic for neuromorphic computing and many others.
However, critical challenges remain, as scalable wafer synthesis, reduction of metal/semiconductor contact resistance, environmental and chemical stability and
heterogeneous integration within CMOS. In this work we will focus on 2D materials, particularly graphene and MoS2, highlighting their properties and the current state of research and development based on these materials. We also present an overview of research in this area in Brazil and some contributions made by our group at the University of São Paulo.
Prof. Dr. Marcelo N.P. Carreno
With a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of São Paulo and a Master’s and Doctorate in Microelectronics from the University of São Paulo. Currently he is an Associate Professor (MS5) at the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (EPUSP), where he coordinates the New Materials and Devices Group (GNMD), at the Microelectronics Laboratory at EPUSP, of which he is also vice-coordinator. He has coordinated several research projects and collaborated with other teams in Brazil and abroad, always acting as a specialist in obtaining, properties and applications of new insulating semiconductor materials (such as amorphous silicon, amorphous silicon carbide, boron nitride and silicon oxynitride). The focus of his research has been both on the production and characterization of new materials, as well as on their applications in various areas. In that way, he has worked in the development of quantum size devices, thin-film semiconductor devices, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems (MOEMS) and microfluidic systems and "Lab on Chip" in glass and PDMS. Combining his experience in new materials and microfabrication processes, in recent years he has expanded his area of expertise to include nanostructured materials, particularly carbon nanotubes and graphene, and applications for medicine, where he has been working with chemical sensors, orthopedic implants, wearable devices for wound monitoring and treatment, and embedded systems for medical applications.