A RISC-V 32-bit microprocessor based on two-dimensional semiconductors

Abstract

Recently the quest for post-silicon semiconductors has escalated owing to the inherent limitations of conventional bulk semiconductors, which are plagued by issues such as drain-induced barrier lowering, interfacial-scattering-induced mobility degradation and a constrained current on/off ratio determined by semiconductor bandwidth. These challenges have prompted the search for more advanced materials, with atomic-layer-thick two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors emerging as a potential solution. Following over a decade of research advances, recent developments1–3 in wafer-scale growth and device fabrication have led to breakthroughs in 2D semiconductor electronics. However, the level of integration remains constrained to a few hundred transistors. We describe a reduced instruction set computing architecture (RISC-V) microprocessor capable of executing standard 32-bit instructions on 5,900 MoS2 transistors and a complete standard cell library based on 2D semiconductor technology. The library contains 25 types of logic units. In alignment with advances in silicon integrated circuits, we also co-optimized the process flow and design of the 2D logic circuits. Our combined manufacturing and design methodology has overcome the significant challenges associated with wafer-scale integration of 2D circuits and enabled a pioneering prototype of an MoS2 microprocessor that exemplifies the potential of 2D integrated-circuit technology beyond silicon. A RISC-V microprocessor capable of executing standard 32-bit instructions has been designed with 5,900 MoS2 transistors and a complete standard cell library based on 2D semiconductor technology.