A 0.42-nanometer breakthrough could push transistors beyond silicon

For more than a decade, atomically thin semiconductors have stood out as a promising route beyond conventional silicon. These materials can be just a single atom thick while still offering impressive electrical properties. In principle, they could enable transistors that are smaller, faster, and more energy efficient than today's devices. Yet even as researchers have discovered increasingly capable two-dimensional semiconductor materials, one stubborn engineering problem has remained.