Metal–semiconductor interface engineering in layered 2D materials for device applications

The research in the field of layered materials, especially in monolayer and few layer forms, have surged in the past decade owing to their unique properties enabling a new kind of nano-dimensional device architecture. Electrical contacts connecting these materials to the outside circuit play very important role in deciding the device performance. In layered materials, particularly when considering the 2D regime, metal–semiconductor contacts become even more crucial. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the importance of metal contacts to 2D materials and discuss about the challenges faced which hinder the ultimate device performance. In particular, we discuss about the recent investigations towards improvement in electronic device performance by engineering the metal–semiconductor interfaces based on 2D semiconductors.