Recently, TSMC, in collaboration with a research team from Yang Ming University in Taiwan, announced the successful development of a high-performance single-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) top-gate transistor. The related research findings have been published in the top-tier international academic journal Nature Electronics, marking a pivotal step toward breaking through the physical limits of Moore's Law in the semiconductor industry.
Core breakthrough: Addressing the challenge of two-dimensional semiconductor interface defects. As a typical two-dimensional semiconductor material, molybdenum disulfide has a functional layer thickness on the single-atom scale (approximately 0.67 nm), endowing it with inherent strong gate control capability at short-channel scales; thus, it is widely recognized in the industry as one of the most promising non-silicon-based materials for the post-Moore era. However, two-dimensional semiconductors have long faced a technical bottleneck caused by interface defects that lead to electron scattering, which has constrained their performance improvement.
A team from TSMC and National Yangming University achieved a significant suppression of electron scattering induced by interface defects by precisely constructing an ultra-thin alumina interfacial layer on a single-layer molybdenum disulfide surface, combined with a high dielectric constant hafnium oxide gate dielectric; this approach enabled the transistor to simultaneously achieve enhanced electrical control capability and superior carrier mobility.
Industrial Significance: Proactive Layout of the 0.7-nm Process Node — The industry generally believes that molybdenum disulfide materials are expected to be officially introduced for mass production in the era of processes below 1 nm, specifically at the 0.7-nm (A7 process) or CFET (Complementary Field-Effect Transistor) stage. TSMC's recent breakthrough equates to having already prepared the "material solution" for the next-generation process node.
Currently, leading global semiconductor equipment manufacturers such as Applied Materials, ASML, and Lam Research have all actively invested in the R&D of equipment tailored for new molybdenum disulfide-based materials. In June 2026, ASML, TSMC, and imec (the Belgian Microelectronics Research Center) jointly successfully validated a 50-nm gate-width two-dimensional material transistor integration scheme on standard 300 mm wafers; thus, two-dimensional semiconductors are rapidly accelerating their transition from laboratory research to wafer fabrication facilities.
Industry Impact: As demand for AI computing power continues to surge exponentially, the global semiconductor industry is accelerating its pursuit of advanced manufacturing processes. Silicon-based materials face physical limitations at nodes below 1 nanometer, making the search for alternative materials a consensus across the entire industry. TSMC's recent technological breakthrough not only solidifies its leading position in the field of advanced manufacturing processes but also charts the technical course for the "post-silicon era" for the entire semiconductor industry.