Scientists control where 2D semiconductor crystals begin to grow

Researchers have found a way to control where crystals of 2D semiconductors, just a few atomic layers thick, begin to grow. This addresses a key obstacle to stacking layers on AI chips: previously crystals nucleated at random locations, making it hard to produce high-quality material at the desired positions.

• 2D semiconductors a few atomic layers thick could enable faster AI chips
• Layers are meant to be stacked on top of existing computing circuits
• Random crystal nucleation previously prevented growth at desired positions
• The new method sets where crystals start to grow