Surface Engineering of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Two-Dimensional Electronic Device Applications

Abstract

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are considered potential channel materials for emerging electronic devices in the roadmap beyond Si-CMOS technology. Layered TMDs offer intrinsically an ultrathin body without compromising the semiconducting properties. For the implementation of TMDs in electronic device structures, the understanding of their surface properties is essential. This work combines a variety of materials characterization techniques such as in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy to investigate the chemistry and structure of TMDs upon different surface treatments. In addition, first-principle calculations are presented to give insights on the mechanism involved in the surface modification of TMD. The impact of the TMDs surface modification on processes for gate-oxide integration by atomic layer deposition and covalent doping are investigated here. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the surface chemistry of TMDs for two-dimensional electronic device applications.