Next-Generation Device Design through Surface Transfer Doping: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

It is well established that semiconductor materials are crucial in modern technologies. Technological breakthroughs are achievable mainly through alteration of the properties of semiconducting materials by doping. Doping in semiconductors can be accomplished by multiple techniques. Every method possesses its own merits and drawbacks. Typically, most doping techniques affect the structure of the semiconducting material due to the impact of the doping atom during the doping procedure. This profoundly affects the characteristics of the semiconducting material. To tackle these issues, an innovative approach has recently been employed for doping semiconducting materials based on the differences in the work function among these materials. This technique is commonly referred to as “surface transfer doping”. This Review begins with a discussion of the theory underlying the surface transfer doping process, followed by an examination of its significant impact on the properties of semiconductors.