Silicene and germanene, the two-dimensional (2D) analogs of silicon and germanium, exhibit unique electronic properties due to their buckled honeycomb structure. Silicene has a bandgap tunable from 0 to 2 eV via external electric fields, making it ideal for flexible electronics and optoelectronic devices. Recent studies have achieved carrier mobilities exceeding 10^4 cm^2/Vs at room temperature, surpassing traditional silicon-based transistors.
The synthesis of high-quality silicene has been achieved using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on Ag(111) substrates, with lattice mismatches as low as 0.3%. This precision enables the growth of defect-free monolayers over areas exceeding 1 cm^2, critical for industrial applications. Encapsulation with Al2O3 layers has stabilized silicene against oxidation, extending its operational lifetime beyond six months in ambient conditions.
Device applications include field-effect transistors (FETs) with on/off ratios greater than 10^6 and subthreshold swings below 60 mV/decade, approaching the theoretical limit for low-power electronics. These FETs operate at frequencies up to 100 GHz, making them suitable for next-generation wireless communication systems. Integration with existing CMOS processes is also being explored to reduce manufacturing costs.
Thermal conductivity measurements reveal that silicene exhibits anisotropic heat transport properties, with in-plane conductivities reaching ~65 W/mK and cross-plane values as low as ~1 W/mK. This anisotropy can be exploited for thermal management in nanoscale devices.
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