Pith. sign in

REVIEW 3 major objections 3 minor 37 references

Low-Frequency Noise in Low-Dimensional van der Waals Materials

T0 review · 3 major / 3 minor · reviewed 2026-08-14 · deepseek-v4-flash

Challenge this review Re-run · record.json Download PDF Read on arXiv ↗ Review JSON

Pith's one-line read Low-frequency noise spectroscopy can reveal charge-density-wave phase transitions in van der Waals materials that resistance measurements miss.

desk verdict A clear, self-contained review of the authors' own noise spectroscopy work, but the promotional claim about CDW phase transitions is asserted rather than independently demonstrated. read the letter →

arxiv 1908.06204 v1 pith:I726BTKS submitted 2019-08-16 cond-mat.mes-hall cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Alexander A. Balandin , Sergey Rumyantsev This is my paper · ORCID
classification cond-mat.mes-hallcond-mat.mtrl-sci PACS 72.70.+m71.45.Lr
keywords low-frequencynoise1/fchargedensitywavesvanderWaalsmaterials1T-TaS2graphenespectroscopyquasi-1Dnanowires
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

This review argues that low-frequency noise spectroscopy is a sensitive probe of electron transport and charge-density-wave (CDW) phase transitions in low-dimensional van der Waals materials. In thin films of 1T-TaS2, the normalized noise spectral density rises into sharp peaks at the bias voltages and temperatures where the CDW depins or changes phase, even when the corresponding resistivity steps are small. In graphene, the review highlights an unusual V-shaped gate-bias dependence of the 1/f noise with a minimum at the Dirac point, which does not follow the standard transistor noise model. For quasi-1D nanowires of TaSe3 and ZrTe3, the noise is comparatively low and carries information about defect barriers and the onset of electromigration. The practical point is that noise measurements can reveal transitions and transport regimes that current-voltage or resistance measurements alone miss.

What carries the argument

The central experimental quantity is the normalized low-frequency noise spectral density, $S_I/I^2$, measured as a function of bias voltage, electric field, or temperature. Around CDW transitions the spectra develop Lorentzian bulges and $1/f$-like components, and the analysis works by aligning the bias and temperature positions of these noise features with steps in resistance. The paper also uses the Dutta-Horn model to convert the frequency and temperature dependence of $1/f$ noise into an activation-energy distribution, giving an activation energy near 1.0 eV for TaSe3 nanowires. For ZrTe3 nanoribbons, the bias sensitivity of the Lorentzian corner frequency is interpreted through the Frenkel-Poole effect under the assumption that the bias drops predominantly on defects blocking the quasi-1D conduction channels. These elements tie the noise peaks to the microscopic state of the CDW and to defect barriers.

What would settle it

A definitive check would be a simultaneous measurement of noise and electron diffraction in 1T-TaS2 devices: if the noise peak temperature or bias does not coincide with the appearance of the new CDW superlattice spots, the central assignment of the noise peaks to CDW phase transitions fails.

Watch

Extended reading notes

Core claim

The central claim of the paper is that low-frequency noise spectroscopy works as a diagnostic tool for electron transport and CDW phase transitions in two- and one-dimensional van der Waals materials, and that in CDW systems it is more sensitive than static electrical measurements. In 1T-TaS2 devices, the noise spectral density exhibits pronounced maxima at biases corresponding to CDW sliding and to the nearly-commensurate-to-incommensurate transition, and at temperatures corresponding to the commensurate-to-nearly-commensurate transition; these positions line up with resistance steps. The noise also marks the incommensurate CDW-to-metal transition, which is accompanied by only a small resistivity change, and, in vertical devices, produces peaks below the main transition that were attributed to possible hidden phase states. The authors conclude that electronic noise in these 2D CDW systems has a unique physical origin, distinct from standard fundamental noise types, related to the coexistence of phases and strong pinning.

Load-bearing premise

The load-bearing premise is that the noise peaks observed at specific temperatures and bias voltages are caused by the charge-density-wave phase transitions identified through resistivity measurements, rather than by contact effects, measurement artifacts, or unrelated noise sources.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

  • In 2D CDW materials such as 1T-TaS2, low-frequency noise spectroscopy can identify phase transitions even when resistivity changes are too small to be used as a reliable marker.
  • Noise measurements can detect coexisting CDW phases and possible hidden phase states below the commensurate-to-nearly-commensurate transition in vertical 1T-TaS2 devices.
  • Graphene noise does not follow the conventional McWhorter model; its V-shaped gate-bias dependence with a minimum at the Dirac point points to mobility- and surface-related fluctuation mechanisms.
  • Quasi-1D TaSe3 nanowires combine low low-frequency noise with high current-carrying capacity, and the emergence of $1/f^2$ noise near 400 K signals the onset of electromigration, supporting their potential as downscaled interconnects.
  • In ZrTe3 nanoribbons, the strong bias dependence of the Lorentzian corner frequency is a signature of defects blocking the quasi-1D channels, with the electric-field dependence described by the Frenkel-Poole effect.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • If noise really is more sensitive than resistance to CDW transitions, the same approach should work in other van der Waals CDW compounds; a natural test is to apply noise spectroscopy to 1T-TiSe2 or other transition-metal dichalcogenides across their transition temperatures.
  • A direct structural check is possible: simultaneous noise and electron-diffraction measurements should show that the noise peak coincides with the appearance of the new CDW superlattice, whereas contact artifacts would not track the structural transition.
  • The Frenkel-Poole interpretation implies that the Lorentzian corner-frequency shift in ZrTe3 should scale with the square root of electric field; measuring that scaling with different contact geometries could separate defect-controlled from contact-controlled noise.
  • The claim of a unique noise origin suggests a falsifiable contrast: the noise peaks in CDW materials should not have the same temperature and bias signatures as ordinary generation-recombination noise in uniform semiconductors with the same resistivity profile.
Share X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit HN

Signed reviews

No signed human review yet.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, and a circularity audit.

Referee Report

3 major / 3 minor

Summary. This manuscript is a short review of low-frequency (1/f and generation-recombination) noise in quasi-2D and quasi-1D van der Waals materials. It summarizes the authors' group's prior work on graphene, on the charge-density-wave (CDW) material 1T-TaS2, and on quasi-1D metallic nanowires (TaSe3 and ZrTe3). The central claim, stated in the abstract and conclusions, is that low-frequency noise spectroscopy is a powerful tool for investigating electron transport and CDW phase transitions in this class of materials. The review is organized into sections on graphene noise, noise in 2D CDW materials, and noise in 1D vdW materials, with figures reproduced from the authors' earlier publications.

Significance. If the central claim holds, noise spectroscopy would indeed be a valuable complement to resistivity measurements for detecting subtle phase transitions and transport anomalies, particularly in CDW systems where resistance changes are small. The paper also highlights practical implications of low-noise quasi-1D metallic nanowires for interconnects. The review's strength is that it compiles a coherent set of recent findings from one group, accompanied by illustrative figures of noise spectra and their correlation with phase transitions. It also identifies a potentially important observation—that noise is often more sensitive than resistance to phase transitions—which could motivate further research. However, the evidence presented is entirely drawn from the authors' own earlier papers, and the review does not offer independent assessment or comparison with other groups' work, limiting its significance as a synthesis.

major comments (3)
  1. [Section III, Figures 2-4] The central claim that noise spectroscopy can serve as a tool for understanding CDW phase transitions rests on correlating noise peaks with resistance steps and hysteresis windows. However, the manuscript does not present any control experiments that rule out contact effects, Joule heating, or other measurement artifacts as the origin of the noise maxima. Moreover, Figure 4 explicitly shows that the noise changes substantially at the IC-to-metal transition where the resistivity change is small, which removes the resistance step as an independent anchor for the phase assignment. The statement that the phase assignment 'was consistent with low-field resistivity measurements' is insufficient, since resistivity itself can be affected by contact degradation and thermal cycling. To support the claim, the authors should either summarize the control experiments from the original papers (e.g., four-probe measurements, varying contact metals, bias-dependence checks) or explicitly soften the claim to reflect the current level of evidence.
  2. [Abstract and Conclusions] The phrase 'we demonstrate that the low-frequency noise spectroscopy is a powerful tool' overstates the contribution of a review that is based entirely on the authors' own prior publications (Refs. 17, 18, 25, 28). This creates a circularity problem: the same measurements are used both as the origin of the tool and as the validation of its power, without independent confirmation. The manuscript should be reframed as a review of the authors' prior findings, with language such as 'we review evidence suggesting...' and should include a brief critical appraisal of the uncertainties and alternative interpretations. If the journal requires an original demonstration, the present manuscript is insufficient; if it is intended as a review, the scope and framing need to be adjusted accordingly.
  3. [Section IV, Figure 5 and Dutta-Horn analysis] The quantitative claim that the noise activation energy for quasi-1D TaSe3 nanowires is ~1.0 eV, obtained using the Dutta-Horn model, is presented without error bars, number of samples, or details of the fitting procedure. Similarly, the bias dependence of the Lorentzian corner frequency in ZrTe3 is described qualitatively but without any numerical parameters. As a standalone review, these values are unsupported; the authors should either provide the relevant details from the original publications or clearly indicate that these are results from cited works rather than assertions to be evaluated in this manuscript.
minor comments (3)
  1. [Title and throughout] The phrase 'van der Walls' appears in the title and abstract; it should be 'van der Waals'.
  2. [Section II] The statement that graphene noise 'does not follow the conventional McWhorter model' is attributed to Ref. 1, but the sentence would benefit from a brief explanation of why the V-shape gate dependence contradicts the McWhorter model, given that similar V-shaped noise is observed in other devices.
  3. [Section III and references] The terminology for CDW phases is inconsistent: 'nearly-commensurate' and 'nearly commensurate' are both used. The authors should also consider adding independent references on noise in CDW materials outside their group to place their results in a broader context.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged · score 0.0 of 10

No significant circularity: the review's central claim is an empirical synthesis correlating independently measured noise and resistivity data, not a derivation from its own inputs.

full rationale

This review does not contain a derivation chain that reduces to its own inputs. The central claim, that low-frequency noise spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying charge transport and CDW phase transitions, is an empirical synthesis of the authors' prior measurements rather than a theorem derived from an ansatz or a fitted parameter. In Section III, noise peaks are correlated with, but not defined by, resistance steps and I-V steps: the paper states that 'the peaks in the noise spectral density at 4.5 kV/cm and 9 kV/cm are in excellent agreement with the resistance steps in (a)' and that 'assignment of the phases was consistent with low-field resistivity measurements.' Because the noise spectral density is an independently measured observable and the phase labels are anchored to low-field resistivity and the known CDW phase diagram of 1T-TaS2, the agreement is substantive rather than constructed. There is no fitted parameter later relabeled as a prediction, no uniqueness theorem imported from the authors' prior work, and no ansatz smuggled in through citation. The heavy reliance on the authors' own papers [17,18,28,36] is a breadth-of-evidence limitation, but peer-reviewed published experimental data are externally falsifiable and do not constitute circular reasoning under the stated criteria. The skeptic's concern about contact noise and Joule heating is a correctness and robustness risk, not a circularity.

Assumptions & free parameters 1 free parameters · 3 assumptions · 0 invented entities

This review introduces no new theoretical quantities or entities. It relies on existing noise models (Dutta-Horn, McWhorter) and on the validity of the authors' prior experimental results, which are taken as given.

free parameters (1)
  • Noise activation energy E_a for quasi-1D TaSe3 nanowires = ~1.0 eV
    Reported in Section IV with reference to the Dutta-Horn model analysis in Ref. [25]. This is an empirical fit to temperature-dependent noise data, presented here without re-derivation.
assumptions (3)
  • domain assumption The Dutta-Horn model relates the temperature dependence of 1/f noise to the distribution of activation energies.
    Invoked in Section IV to interpret the noise activation energy in TaSe3. The model is standard in noise physics, but its applicability to quasi-1D nanowires is assumed without explicit justification.
  • domain assumption The charge-density-wave phase transitions in 1T-TaS2 are correctly identified by resistivity measurements and the phase diagram described in Section III.
    The review's key demonstrations rely on assignments of commensurate, nearly-commensurate, and incommensurate CDW phases, which are taken from prior literature and the authors' own resistance data without independent confirmation in this paper.
  • domain assumption The measured low-frequency noise is an intrinsic property of the material, not dominated by contact resistance or measurement setup.
    All noise data are interpreted as material-specific characteristics. The review does not include analysis of contact contributions or calibration artifacts.

how reviews work

0 comments
Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of Low-Frequency Noise in Low-Dimensional van der Waals Materials." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/I726BTKS

@misc{pith2026190806204,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: Low-Frequency Noise in Low-Dimensional van der Waals Materials},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/I726BTKS}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:1908.06204}
}
read the original abstract

The emergence of graphene and two-dimensional van der Walls materials renewed interest to investigation of the low-frequency noise in the low-dimensional systems. The layered van der Waals materials offers unique opportunities for studying the low-frequency noise owing to the properties controlled by the thickness of these materials, and tunable carrier concentration. In this review, we describe unusual low-frequency noise phenomena in quasi-2D and quasi-1D van der Waals materials. We also demonstrate that the low-frequency noise spectroscopy is a powerful tool for investigation of the electron transport and charge-density-wave phase transitions in this class of materials.

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

37 extracted references · 37 canonical work pages

  1. [1]

    A. A. Balandin, Low-frequency 1/f noise in graphene devices, Nature Nano, 8, 549–555 (2013)

    work page 2013

  2. [2]

    M. A. Stolyarov, G. Liu, S. L. Rumyantsev, M. Shur, and A. A. Balandin, Suppression of 1/f noise in near-ballistic h-BN-graphene-h-BN HFETs, Appl. Phys. Lett., 107, 23106 (2015)

    work page 2015

  3. [3]

    S. L. Rumyantsev, C. Jiang, R. Samnakay, M. S. Shur, and A. A. Balandin, 1/f noise characteristics of MoS 2 thin-film transistors, IEEE Electron Device Letters, 36, 517 (2015)

    work page 2015

  4. [4]

    Z. Chen, Y. M. Lin, M. J. Rooks, and P. Avouris, G raphene nano-ribbon electronics, Physica E, 40, 228–232 (2007)

    work page 2007

  5. [5]

    Y. M. Lin and P. Avouris, Strong suppression of electrical noise in bilayer graphene Nanodevices, Nano Lett. 8, 2119–2125 (2008)

    work page 2008

  6. [6]

    A. N. Pal and A. Ghosh, Resistance noise in elect rically biased bilayer graphene, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 126805 (2009)

    work page 2009

  7. [7]

    Shao, et al

    Q. Shao, et al. Flicker noise in bilayer graphene transistors, IEEE Electron. Dev. Lett. 30, 288–290 (2009)

    work page 2009

  8. [8]

    Xu, et al

    G. Xu, et al. Low -noise submicron channel graphene nanoribbons, Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 073107 (2010)

    work page 2010

Show all 37 references
  1. [9]

    Xu, et al

    G. Xu, et al. Effect of spatial charge inhomogeneity on 1/f noise behavior in graphene, Nano Lett. 10, 3312–3317 (2010)

    2010

  2. [10]

    Rumyantsev, G

    S. Rumyantsev, G. Liu, W. Stillman, M. Shur, and A. A. Balandin, Electrical and noise characteristics of graphene field-effect transistors: ambient effects, noise sources and physical mechanisms, J. Phys. Condensed Matter, 22, 395302 (2010)

    2010

  3. [11]

    G. Liu, W. Stillman, S. Rumyantsev, M. Shur, and A. A. Balandin, Low- frequency electronic noise in graphene transistors: comparison with carb on nanotubes, Int. J. High Speed Electronic Syst., 20, 161–170 (2011)

    2011

  4. [12]

    G. Liu, S. Rumyantsev, M. Shur, and A. A. Balandin, Graphene thickness- graded transistors with reduced electronic noise, Appl. Phys. Lett. 100, 033103 (2012)

    2012

  5. [13]

    A. A. Kaverzin, A. S. Mayorov, A. Shytov, and D. W. Horsell, Impurities as a source of 1/f noise in graphene, Phys. Rev. B 85, 075435 (2012)

    2012

  6. [14]

    G. Liu, S. Rumyantsev, M. Shur, and A. A. Balandin, Origin of 1/ f noise in graphene multilayers: Surface vs. volume, Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 093111 (2013)

    2013

  7. [15]

    Hossain, S

    M. Hossain, S. L. Rumiantsev, M. Shur, and A. A. Balandin, Reduction of 1/f noise in graphene after electron -beam irradiation. Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 153512 (2013)

    2013

  8. [16]

    G. Liu, B. Debnath, T. R. Pope, T. T. Salguero, R . K. Lake, and A. A. Balandin, A charge-density-wave osc illator based on an integrated tantalum disulfide–boron nitride–graphene device operating at room temperature, Nature Nano, 11, 845 (2016)

    2016

  9. [17]

    G. Liu, S. Rumyantsev, M. A. Bloodgood, T. T. Salguero, and A. A. Balandin, Low-frequency current fluctuations and sliding of the charge density waves in two-dimensional materials, Nano Lett., 18, 3630 (2018)

    2018

  10. [18]

    Salgado, A

    R. Salgado, A. Mohammadzadeh, F. Kargar, A. Geremew, C.-Y. Huang, M. A. Bloodgood, S. Rumyantsev, T. T. Salguero, and A. A. Balandin, Low- frequency nois e spectroscopy of charge -density-wave phase transitions in vertical quasi-2D 1T-TaS2 devices, Appl. Phys. Express, 18, 037...

    2019

  11. [19]

    Grüner, The dynamics of charge-density waves, Rev

    G. Grüner, The dynamics of charge-density waves, Rev. Mod. Phys., 60, 1129−1181 (1988)

    1988

  12. [20]

    Y. I. Joe, et al., Emergence of charge density wave domain walls above the superconducting dome in 1T-TiSe2, Nature Phys., 10, 421−425 (2014)

    2014

  13. [21]

    M. J. Hollander, et al., Electrically driven reversible insulator-metal phase transition in 1T-TaS2, Nano Lett., 15, 1861−1866 (2015)

    2015

  14. [22]

    Liu, et al., Total-ionizing-dose effects on threshold switching in 1T - TaS2 charge density wave devices, IEEE Electron Device Lett., 38, 1724–1727 (2017)

    G. Liu, et al., Total-ionizing-dose effects on threshold switching in 1T - TaS2 charge density wave devices, IEEE Electron Device Lett., 38, 1724–1727 (2017)

    2017

  15. [23]

    Geremew, et al., Proton -irradiation-immune electronics implemented with two-dimensional charge -density-wave devices, Nanoscale, 11, 8380 (2019)

    A. Geremew, et al., Proton -irradiation-immune electronics implemented with two-dimensional charge -density-wave devices, Nanoscale, 11, 8380 (2019)

    2019

  16. [24]

    M. A. Stolyarov, et al., Breakdown current density in h-BN-capped quasi- 1D TaSe 3 metallic nanowires: prospect s of interconnect applications, Nanoscale, 8, 15774–15782 (2016)

    2016

  17. [25]

    G. Liu, S. Rumyantsev, M. A. Bloodgood, T. T. Salguero, M. Shur, and A. A. Balandin, Low-frequency electronic noise in quasi-1D TaSe3 van der Waals nanowires, Nano Lett., 17, 377 (2017)

    2017

  18. [26]

    M. A. Bloodgood, et al., Monoclinic structures of niobium trisulfide, APL Mater., 6, 026602 (2018)

    2018

  19. [27]

    Geremew, et al., Current car rying capacity of quasi-1D ZrTe3 van der Waals nanoribbons, IEEE Electron Device Lett., 39, 735–738 (2018)

    A. Geremew, et al., Current car rying capacity of quasi-1D ZrTe3 van der Waals nanoribbons, IEEE Electron Device Lett., 39, 735–738 (2018)

    2018

  20. [28]

    A. K. Geremew, S. Rumyantsev, M. A. Bloodgood, T. T. Salguero, and A. A. Balandin, Unique features of the generation–recombination noise in quasi- one-dimensional van der Waals nanoribbons, Nanoscale, 10, 19749 (2018)

    2018

  21. [29]

    Yang, et al., Triple -mode single-transistor graphene amplifier and its applications, ACS Nano, 4, 5532–5538 (2010)

    X. Yang, et al., Triple -mode single-transistor graphene amplifier and its applications, ACS Nano, 4, 5532–5538 (2010)

    2010

  22. [30]

    Yang, et al., Graphene ambipo lar multiplier phase detector, IEEE Electron Device Lett., 32, 1328–1330 (2011)

    X. Yang, et al., Graphene ambipo lar multiplier phase detector, IEEE Electron Device Lett., 32, 1328–1330 (2011)

    2011

  23. [31]

    Rumyantsev, G

    S. Rumyantsev, G. Liu, M. S. Shur, R. A. Potyrailo, and A. A. Balandin, Selective gas sensing with a single pristine graphene transistor,” Nano Lett., 12, 2294–2298 (2012)

    2012

  24. [32]

    Rumyantsev, G

    S. Rumyantsev, G. Liu, R. A. Potyrailo, A. A. Balandin, an d M. S. Shur, Selective sensing of individual gases using graphene devices, IEEE Sens. J., 13, 2818–2822 (2013)

    2013

  25. [33]

    G. Liu, S. Ahsan, A. G. Khitun, R. K. Lake, and A. A. Balandin, Graphene- based non-Boolean logic circuits, J. Appl. Phys., 114, 154310 (2013)

    2013

  26. [34]

    Khitun, et al., Two-dimensional oscillatory neural network based on room-temperature charge-density-wave devices, IEEE Trans

    A. Khitun, et al., Two-dimensional oscillatory neural network based on room-temperature charge-density-wave devices, IEEE Trans. Nanotech ., 16, 860–867 (2017)

    2017

  27. [35]

    A. G. Khitun, et al., Transistor -less logic circuits implemented with 2 -D charge density wave devices, IEEE Electron Device Lett., 39, 1449–1452 (2018)

    2018

  28. [36]

    A. K. Geremew, et al., Bias-voltage driven switching of the charge - density-wave and normal metallic phases in 1T -TaS2 thin-film devices, ACS Nano, 13, 7231−7240 (2019)

    2019

  29. [37]

    T. A. Empante, et al., Low resistivity and high breakdown current density of 10 nm diameter van der Waals TaSe 3 nanowires by chemical vapor deposition, Nano Lett., 19, 4355–4361 (2019)

    2019

Pith tools

Reviewed August 14, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.