Materials such as SiC and GaN enable high-voltage, high-temperature, and high-frequency power electronics because of their large bandgaps, high critical electric fields, and favorable thermal properties. They are especially impactful in electric vehicles, renewable-energy converters, and RF power amplifiers.

Two-dimensional materials and nanostructures promise electrostatic control and novel transport properties, but contact resistance, variability, and manufacturability remain major challenges. At these scales, quantum confinement, tunneling, and interface chemistry can dominate classical bulk intuition.

At extreme scaling, device behavior may depend on tunneling, quantum capacitance, discrete charge, and single-electron effects. Research directions include tunnel FETs, spintronics, neuromorphic devices, and memristive structures. These devices may enable new functionality, but integrating them into robust systems remains a major challenge.