Two dimensional WS{sub 2} lateral heterojunctions by strain modulation

Journal Article · Mon Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4954991· OSTI ID:22590659

Meng, Lan; Hu, Song; Wang, Xiangfu; Liu, Chunsheng; Guo, Yandong ^[1]; Zhang, Yuhan; Wang, Xinran ^[2]; Yan, Xiaohong ^[1]

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1. College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210046 (China)
2. National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

“Strain engineering” has been widely used to tailor the physical properties of layered materials, like graphene, black phosphorus, and transition-metal dichalcogenides. Here, we exploit thermal strain engineering to construct two dimensional (2D) WS{sub 2} in-plane heterojunctions. Kelvin probe force microscopy is used to investigate the surface potentials and work functions of few-layer WS{sub 2} flakes, which are grown on SiO{sub 2}/Si substrates by chemical vapor deposition, followed by a fast cooling process. In the interior regions of strained WS{sub 2} flakes, work functions are found to be much larger than that of the unstrained regions. The difference in work functions, together with the variation of band gaps, endows the formation of heterojunctions in the boundaries between inner and outer domains of WS{sub 2} flakes. This result reveals that the existence of strain offers a unique opportunity to modulate the electronic properties of 2D materials and construct 2D lateral heterojunctions.

• OSTI ID: 22590659
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 108, Issue 26; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
COOLING
GRAPHENE
HETEROJUNCTIONS
LAYERS
MICROSCOPY
MODULATION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROBES
SILICON OXIDES
STRAINS
SUBSTRATES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TUNGSTEN SULFIDES
TWO-DIMENSIONAL SYSTEMS
WORK FUNCTIONS