Francisco Gamiz, Professor at the University of Granada, specializes in integration of 2D materials for advanced semiconductor technologies. Within FAMES, he is developing a 2D-material platform aimed to be compatible with industrial CMOS processes. He discusses in this interview the challenges and opportunities of such integration.
At the University of Granada (UGR), our research focuses, among other topics, on the integration of two-dimensional (2D) materials into advanced semiconductor technologies. We investigate the growth, fabrication, characterization, and modeling of electronic devices based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), such as MoS₂ and WS₂, with particular emphasis on their integration into the Back-End-Of-Line (BEOL) of FD-SOI technologies.
Within FAMES, UGR contributes to the development of a 2D-material platform compatible with industrial CMOS processes. Our objective is to demonstrate wafer-scale growth of 2D materials, fabricate transistors and memory devices directly on CMOS-compatible substrates, and ultimately enable new More-than-Moore functionalities such as embedded non-volatiles memories, new memory concepts (embedded 1TDRAM cells, sensors for IoT (environment, bio, health), neuromorphic devices for in-memory computing, optoelectronics, and RF applications.
2D materials offer a unique combination of properties that make them highly attractive for future FD-SOI technologies.
First, their atomically thin nature provides excellent electrostatic control, enabling aggressive device scaling while reducing short-channel effects. Second, they can be integrated at relatively low temperatures, making them compatible with BEOL processing and therefore suitable for monolithic 3D integration. Third, they introduce functionalities that are difficult to achieve with conventional silicon alone, including sensing, non-volatile memory, neuromorphic computing, and optoelectronic applications.
From a manufacturing perspective, 2D materials offer the possibility of adding new device layers directly on top of completed CMOS circuits, thereby increasing functionality without increasing the chip footprint or disrupting mature CMOS fabrication processes.
Despite their enormous potential, several challenges still limit the industrial adoption of 2D materials.
One of the main challenges is achieving wafer-scale growth with sufficient material quality while remaining within the strict thermal budget required by CMOS technologies. Low-temperature deposition methods often result in polycrystalline films with defects, grain boundaries, and limited carrier mobility.
Another challenge is controlling the electrical properties of the devices, including contact resistance, Schottky barriers, defect densities, hysteresis, and long-term reliability. Last but not least, scalable integration requires robust lithographic processes, passivation strategies, and process flows that are fully compatible with industrial semiconductor manufacturing, while avoiding contamination of the previously processed FDSOI/CMOS system.
Our team is working on all these aspects, combining materials growth, advanced characterization, device fabrication, and simulation to establish a complete technological platform.
FAMES has provided an exceptional framework for accelerating our developments and aligning them with industrial requirements.
Over the last months, we have successfully demonstrated wafer-scale fabrication of MoS₂ transistors directly grown by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PE-ALD) at temperatures compatible with BEOL integration. These devices exhibit stable ambipolar operation and low Schottky barrier heights, demonstrating the feasibility of CMOS-compatible 2D electronics. Although the performance of the fabricated devices still needs to be improved, this represents an important first step.
In parallel, we have demonstrated robust p-type WS₂ devices fabricated through a scalable growth process. Achieving reliable p-type behavior in sulfur-based TMDs is an important milestone because it enables complementary device architectures using the same material platform.
FAMES has enabled close collaboration with leading European semiconductor organizations, providing access to industrial requirements, integration roadmaps, and future pilot-line opportunities. This interaction is helping us transition from laboratory-scale demonstrations toward technologies that can be transferred into future manufacturing environments.
Our next objective is to further improve the quality and performance of low-temperature-grown 2D materials.
We are currently developing advanced post-deposition treatments, including thermal and laser annealing techniques, to reduce defect densities and enhance carrier mobility while maintaining CMOS compatibility. We are also expanding our work toward the demonstration of memory devices, sensors, and heterogeneous 3D integration schemes based on 2D materials.
Looking ahead, our goal is to establish a complete BEOL-compatible 2D technology platform that can be integrated into future FD-SOI pilot lines, enabling new generations of energy-efficient and multifunctional semiconductor systems.
Ultimately, we believe that 2D materials will play a key role in extending semiconductor innovation beyond traditional scaling, and FAMES is providing the ideal ecosystem to make that transition possible.
Find out more about the FAMES consortium.
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