Chinese Scientists Achieve Multiple Breakthroughs in 2D Semiconductor Wafers

Advancing Beyond Silicon's Limits

Chinese scientists have announced a series of significant breakthroughs in the development of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor wafers, pushing the boundaries for next-generation high-performance chips. These advancements are critical as traditional silicon-based transistors approach their physical limits, prompting a global quest for alternative materials. 2D materials, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) and graphene, offer atomically thin structures, high carrier mobility, and lower power consumption, positioning them as promising successors in the post-Moore's Law era.

Key Developments in MoS₂ Wafer Production

Recent efforts have focused on overcoming the challenges of producing 2D materials uniformly and at scale. A team led by Wang Jinlan from Southeast University in Nanjing, in collaboration with Wang Xinran and Li Taotao from Nanjing University, reported a critical breakthrough in January 2026. They successfully fabricated a 6-inch (15cm) single-crystalline MoS₂ wafer using a novel crystal growth technique. This method demonstrated a growth rate over 100 times faster than conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and produced films free of carbon impurities. Field-effect transistor arrays created from this MoS₂ crystal exhibited electron mobility more than 10 times higher than those made with traditional methods.

Further contributing to scalable production, a team led by Liu Kaihui from Peking University in Beijing demonstrated batch production of MoS₂ wafers ranging from 2 to 12 inches in diameter in 2023. Their innovative 'surface-to-surface supply method' ensures uniform growth, and their modular growth system is capable of producing 10,000 2D wafers per machine per year. This team also proposed a new strategy for growing 2-inch single-phase indium selenide (In₂Se₃) wafers in July 2025.

The 'Wuji' Microprocessor and Integrated Memory

In a significant leap for functional 2D electronics, a team led by Zhou Peng and Bao Wenzhong from Fudan University in Shanghai developed the world's first 32-bit RISC-V architecture microprocessor, named 'Wuji' (RV32-WUJI), based entirely on 2D semiconductor materials. Published in *Nature* in April 2025, this microprocessor integrates a record-breaking 5,900 MoS₂ transistors, far exceeding previous benchmarks for 2D logic circuits. The 'Wuji' chip is less than 1 nanometer thick and achieved an impressive 99.77% inverter yield. Notably, its development does not rely on advanced EUV lithography, a technology subject to export restrictions to China.

Additionally, in October 2025, another team from Fudan University, led by Chunsen Liu, achieved the successful integration of 2D memory directly onto conventional silicon chips. Their ATOM2CHIP process allowed the growth of molybdenum disulfide layers on a 0.13-micrometer CMOS silicon chip, resulting in a hybrid chip with a 2D NOR flash memory array. This memory demonstrated fast 20-nanosecond programming and erasing, ten-year data retention, and endurance of over 100,000 write cycles, consuming only 0.644 picojoules per bit.

Breakthroughs in Graphene Semiconductors

Beyond MoS₂, a joint Chinese-US research team, including Ma Lei from Tianjin University and researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, announced in January 2024 the creation of a stable semiconductor from graphene. Published in *Nature*, this breakthrough overcame graphene's inherent 'zero bandgap' issue, which previously hindered its use in semiconductors. The new graphene semiconductor exhibits performance 10 times higher than silicon and 20 times greater than other 2D semiconductors, with electron mobility significantly surpassing silicon.

Implications for Future Computing

These collective breakthroughs by Chinese scientists signify a pivotal moment in the pursuit of next-generation computing. By addressing critical manufacturing challenges and demonstrating functional 2D-material-based devices, these advancements pave the way for more powerful, energy-efficient, and miniaturized chips essential for future technologies such as artificial intelligence, edge computing, and flexible electronics.