The size reduction and economics of integrated circuits, captured since the 1960’s in the form of Moore’s Law, is under serious challenge. Current industry roadmaps reveal that physical limitations include reaching aspects associated with truly atomic dimensions, and the cost of manufacturing is increasing such that only 2 or 3 companies can afford leading edge capabilities. To address some of the “conventions;” material’s physical limitations, “2D materials” such as graphene, phosphorene, h-BN, and transition metal dichalcogenides have captured the imagination of the research community for advanced applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and other applications. [1,2] Among 2D materials “beyond graphene,” some exhibit semiconducting behavior, such as transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and present useful bandgap properties for applications even at the single atomic layer level. Examples include “MX2”, where M = Mo, W, Sn, Hf, Zr and X = S, Se and Te. In addition to the potentially useful bandgaps at the monolayer thickness scale, the atomically thin layers should enable thorough electric field penetration through the channel, thus enabling superior electrostatic control. Further, with such thin layers, the integration with suitable gate dielectrics can result in a mobility enhancement. Applications “beyond CMOS” are also under exploration. From an interface perspective, the ideal TMD material may ne expected to have a dearth of dangling bonds on the surface/interface, resulting in low interface state densities which are essential for efficient carrier transport. The ideal TMD materials have much appeal, but the reality of significant densities of defects and impurities will surely compromise the intrinsic performance of such device technologies. This presentation will examine the state-of-the-art of these materials in view of our research on semiconductor device applications, and the challenges and opportunities they present for electronic and optoelectronic applications. [3,4] This research was supported in part by the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) NEWLIMITS Center and NIST through award number 70NANB17H041 and the Erik Jonsson Distinguished Chair at the University of Texas at Dallas.