# Monolayer MoS₂: from one atomic layer to logic

> A chain of four lenses builds a chip up from one S–Mo–S layer: thinned to a monolayer, MoS₂ turns into a direct-gap semiconductor that lights up; a top-gated monolayer transistor switches by a factor of 10⁸; and the layer carries inverters, NOR logic and gates just 1 nm long.

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- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Materials graphical abstracts
- Method: Graphical abstract
- Starting materials: Layered MoS₂, an indirect-gap semiconductor in the bulk
- Product: Single-layer MoS₂ transistors and logic circuits
- Key result: On/off 1 × 10⁸ and ≥ 200 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ (Radisavljevic et al. 2011); > 10⁴-fold luminescence efficiency (Mak et al. 2010); 1 nm gate, ~65 mV/dec (Desai et al. 2016)
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 218 editable layers (1 generated objects with settings)

## Steps

1. **One layer**: Thin MoS₂ down to a single S–Mo–S layer, less than 1 nm thin (Mak et al. 2010; Radisavljevic et al. 2011)
2. **Direct gap**: The indirect gap rises by more than 0.6 eV as layers are removed, the monolayer becomes direct-gap and its luminescence efficiency rises more than 10⁴-fold (Mak et al. 2010; Splendiani et al. 2010)
3. **Transistor**: A 1.8 eV gap and a HfO₂ gate dielectric give mobility of at least 200 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and on/off ratios of 1 × 10⁸ (Radisavljevic et al. 2011)
4. **Logic and scaling**: Inverters with gain above 1 and NOR gates on one layer (Radisavljevic et al. 2011, ACS Nano); a 1 nm gate with ~65 mV per decade, where silicon is predicted to fail below 5 nm (Desai et al. 2016)

## Uses

- Graphical abstracts on 2D semiconductors and TMD electronics
- Talks on monolayer transistors and scaling beyond silicon
- Teaching indirect-to-direct band gap crossover

## References

1. Mak, Lee, Hone, Shan & Heinz, “Atomically thin MoS₂: a new direct-gap semiconductor”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2010. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.136805 (primary)
2. Splendiani et al., “Emerging photoluminescence in monolayer MoS2”, Nano Lett. 2010. https://doi.org/10.1021/nl903868w (primary)
3. Radisavljevic, Radenovic, Brivio, Giacometti & Kis, “Single-layer MoS2 transistors”, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2010.279 (method origin)
4. Radisavljevic, Whitwick & Kis, “Integrated circuits and logic operations based on single-layer MoS2”, ACS Nano 2011. https://doi.org/10.1021/nn203715c (primary)
5. Desai et al., “MoS2 transistors with 1-nanometer gate lengths”, Science 2016. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah4698 (primary)
6. Akinwande et al., “Graphene and two-dimensional materials for silicon technology”, Nature 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1573-9 (review)

Credit: Drawn by LabCanvas after Mak et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 2010 (doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.136805); Radisavljevic et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 2011 (doi:10.1038/nnano.2010.279) and ACS Nano 2011 (doi:10.1021/nn203715c); Desai et al., Science 2016 (doi:10.1126/science.aah4698).

## Questions

**What does the “Monolayer MoS₂: from one atomic layer to logic” template show?** A chain of four lenses builds a chip up from one S–Mo–S layer: thinned to a monolayer, MoS₂ turns into a direct-gap semiconductor that lights up; a top-gated monolayer transistor switches by a factor of 10⁸; and the layer carries inverters, NOR logic and gates just 1 nm long.

**What are the steps shown in “Monolayer MoS₂: from one atomic layer to logic”?** 1. One layer: Thin MoS₂ down to a single S–Mo–S layer, less than 1 nm thin (Mak et al. 2010; Radisavljevic et al. 2011). 2. Direct gap: The indirect gap rises by more than 0.6 eV as layers are removed, the monolayer becomes direct-gap and its luminescence efficiency rises more than 10⁴-fold (Mak et al. 2010; Splendiani et al. 2010). 3. Transistor: A 1.8 eV gap and a HfO₂ gate dielectric give mobility of at least 200 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and on/off ratios of 1 × 10⁸ (Radisavljevic et al. 2011). 4. Logic and scaling: Inverters with gain above 1 and NOR gates on one layer (Radisavljevic et al. 2011, ACS Nano); a 1 nm gate with ~65 mV per decade, where silicon is predicted to fail below 5 nm (Desai et al. 2016).

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: Layered MoS₂, an indirect-gap semiconductor in the bulk. Product: Single-layer MoS₂ transistors and logic circuits.

**Which papers is “Monolayer MoS₂: from one atomic layer to logic” based on?** Mak, Lee, Hone, Shan & Heinz, “Atomically thin MoS₂: a new direct-gap semiconductor”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2010 (doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.136805); Splendiani et al., “Emerging photoluminescence in monolayer MoS2”, Nano Lett. 2010 (doi:10.1021/nl903868w); Radisavljevic, Radenovic, Brivio, Giacometti & Kis, “Single-layer MoS2 transistors”, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2011 (doi:10.1038/nnano.2010.279); Radisavljevic, Whitwick & Kis, “Integrated circuits and logic operations based on single-layer MoS2”, ACS Nano 2011 (doi:10.1021/nn203715c); Desai et al., “MoS2 transistors with 1-nanometer gate lengths”, Science 2016 (doi:10.1126/science.aah4698); Akinwande et al., “Graphene and two-dimensional materials for silicon technology”, Nature 2019 (doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1573-9).

**Can I edit the “Monolayer MoS₂: from one atomic layer to logic” template?** Yes. Open it in the LabCanvas editor: all 218 layers are editable, including 1 generated objects (structures, plots, equipment) with their own settings. Change the text, colours and layout, then export PNG, TIFF, SVG or PDF.

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