Startup CDimension takes aim at silicon’s monopoly

MIT spinoff CDimension has begun offering its 2D semiconductor materials for commercial sampling. The startup, which emerged from stealth in July, believes that its proprietary low-temperature deposition method for wafer-scale growth of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) could accelerate the retirement of silicon as the world’s most pre-eminent semiconductor.

2D materials have long held promise for more powerful and energy-efficient chips. Imec has proposed a stepwise introduction, starting with mature-node peripheral devices at the A7 node and more widespread adoption by the A3 node, which is scheduled to enter commercial production in 2035. In a recent article, the Leuven-based research institute highlighted key challenges that need to be solved for that to happen, including wafer-scale deposition of high-quality material, gate stack integration and manufacturing low-resistance source/drain contacts and doping of 2D materials.