Silica as a two-dimensional material for nano-electronics

Modern microelectronics has transitioned from planar metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors to finFETs to nanowire FETs, and most recently to nanosheet (NS) FETs, in which the channel is composed of a group of gate-all-around thin layers of silicon or a substitute material. It has been suggested that some two-dimensional materials may be used to replace the silicon in these NS FETs. While such two-dimensional materials have been studied over the past couple of decades, they have questionable properties for this application. In fact, it is pointed out here that silica itself may be a more suitable material for use in NS transistors. The properties of silica are discussed, and comparisons with other materials are given. It is shown that silica has a number of advantageous properties for use as a NS, provided that more research can establish viable methods of controlling required dopants for active layers.