Emerging avalanche field-effect transistors based on two-dimensional semiconductor materials and their sensory applications

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconductors have been the subject of promising research work due to their intriguing physical and chemical characteristics. In electronic nano-devices, impact ionization is a viable condition to investigate or probe the level of sensitivity upon the applicat...

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Published inJournal of materials chemistry. C, Materials for optical and electronic devices Vol. 13; no. 31; pp. 15767 - 15795
Main Authors Elahi, Ehsan, Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Aziz, Jamal, Ahsan, Umer, Chauhan, Payal, Assiri, Mohammed A, Sarkar, Kalyan Jyoti, Asgher, Umer, Sofer, Zdenek
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 07.08.2025
Subjects
Avalanche transistors
Carrier mobility
Environmental monitoring
Field effect transistors
Low dimensional semiconductors
Nanotechnology devices
Optoelectronics
Power efficiency
Power management
Semiconductor devices
Semiconductor materials
Sensitivity
Transistors
Two dimensional materials
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Summary:Recently, two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconductors have been the subject of promising research work due to their intriguing physical and chemical characteristics. In electronic nano-devices, impact ionization is a viable condition to investigate or probe the level of sensitivity upon the application of external stimuli. However, avalanche field-effect transistors (FETs) have emerged as promising candidates for a wide range of sophisticated applications, especially for sensing traits. In this review, we explore the incorporation of 2D materials into avalanche FETs, highlighting their auspicious properties such as high carrier mobility, variable band gaps, and atomic thickness, which provide significant advantages over typical materials. 2D materials significantly improve the sensitivity, speed, and power efficiency of avalanche FETs. This study also encompasses the advances in photo-, bio- and gas-sensing technologies, emphasizing their implications in contemporary applications such as optoelectronics, imaging, and environmental monitoring. Thus, our review provides a thorough investigation of material attributes, device architecture, and prospective applications by establishing avalanche FETs with 2D materials as the keystone in power and rectifying applications. 2D heterostructure-based avalanche FET's enable efficient photo/gas/biomolecule sensing via enhanced carrier dynamics and tunable band alignments under forward/reverse bias.
Bibliography:Dr Ehsan Elahi currently works as a postdoctoral researcher in the Sofer group at the Department of Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT), Prague, Czech Republic. He obtained his MSc in Electronics from Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan and MPhil from Riphah International University Lahore Campus, Punjab, Pakistan. He attained a doctorate degree (PhD) from the Department of Physics, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea in 2024. Ehsan's research interests include 2D materials (TMDCs), 2D ferromagnetic materials, electronics, optoelectronics, spintronics, and spin-caloritronics.
Dr Payal Chauhan is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions postdoctoral ERA Fellow in the Sofer Group at the University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT), Prague, Czech Republic. She received her PhD in Physics from the Department of Physics, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat, India, in 2022. Prior to joining UCT, she held a postdoctoral position at CHARUSAT University, Gujarat, India. Her current research focuses on two-dimensional composite materials for electrocatalytic applications, including water splitting, supercapacitors, and anion exchange membrane electrolyzers for seawater electrolysis, aiming to advance sustainable energy and hydrogen production technologies.
Dr Kalyan Jyoti Sarkar received his PhD degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur), India in 2020. Currently he is working as a postdoctoral researcher at Sofer Group, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (UCT Prague). Prior to joining the Sofer Group in January 2022, he was a SERB National Postdoctoral Fellow at the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IISc Bangalore). He has also worked as a research associate-I in the QuEST-DST project for six months at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM). His research focus is on fabrication and characterization of 2D material-based devices for optoelectronics, memory applications, and quantum transport studies.
Dr Muhammad Farooq Khan is an assistant professor at the Department of AI Convergence Electronic Engineering, Sejong University, Republic of Korea. He earned his PhD (Physics) from Sejong University in 2018. After that, he was a postdoc fellow at Yonsei University in 2019. His research primarily focused on nanofabrication of electronic, memory, and energy harvesting devices manifested by two-dimensional layered semiconductor materials. His contributions extend beyond academia; he successfully won two research grants from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Korea and has authored a book chapter on “2D Material Photonics and Optoelectronics.” In addition, he is serving as a referee for various scientific journals ensuring the dissemination of high-quality research.
Mr Umer Ahsan holds a Master of Science in Physics from COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, completed in 2020. He is pursuing a PhD in Chemical Technology at the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, where his doctoral research focuses on synthesis, characterization, and device integration of advanced two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides and their novel alloys. His work explores applications in next-generation nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices—including field-effect transistors, photodetectors, and chemical sensors—by investigating structure–property relationships to enhance performance. He has authored several peer-reviewed articles advancing sustainable, high-performance electronic systems.
Dr Zdeněk Sofer has been a full professor at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republic, since 2019. He also received his PhD from the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague in 2008. During his PhD, he spent one year at Forschungszentrum Julich (Peter Grünberg Institute, Germany), followed by postdoctoral experience at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. His research interests include semiconductors and 2D materials, their synthesis, crystal growth, chemical modifications and functionalization. He is particularly focused on various applications of two-dimensional materials including energy storage and conversion.
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ISSN:2050-7526
2050-7534
DOI:10.1039/d5tc02021b