Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been attracting attention as next-generation semiconductor materials, originating from their ability to control the short-channel effect that occurs in silicon-based devices as a result of device miniaturization. 2D...
Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been attracting attention as next-generation semiconductor materials, originating from their ability to control the short-channel effect that occurs in silicon-based devices as a result of device miniaturization. 2D van der Waals (vdW) materials, which are layered materials that can be exfoliated layer by layer, include mono-element materials and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) and have unique intrinsic properties and thickness-dependent band gap.
In the case of 2D multilayers with weak vdW interactions between layers, carrier transport depends greatly on interlayer resistance and carrier mobility as a function of thickness. As a result, contact engineering becomes increasingly important in devices based on 2D vdW multilayers, where channel separation and migration occur. Various approaches, such as shifting Fermi energy levels, structural phase engineering, and contact configuration engineering, have been explored to reduce contact resistance, however, these methods have not provided clear solutions. Furthermore, although studies have been conducted on the separation and migration of conducting channels within 2D multilayer materials, the direction of spatial channel location under electrostatic drain and gate voltage conditions has not been clearly resolved. In addition, the carrier density and mobility, which vary with temperature, strongly influence the electrical conductivity of the material under specific electrostatic voltage conditions. This indicates that investigating temperature-dependent properties can provide insights into carrier transport mechanisms and charge scattering mechanism.
Herein, we propose simple but powerful contact strategy, the vertical double-side contact (VDC), and investigate its electrical characteristics and compare them with the conventional contact electrode configurations. We also study the conducting channel migration mechanism within the 2D multilayer field-effect transistors (FETs). Furthermore, we investigate the carrier scattering mechanism at high temperatures in 2D multilayer FET.
First, we proposed a new contact electrode strategy in multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), which is one of the TMD materials, to reduce contact resistance and enhance the interlayer carrier injection efficiency. In this study, we demonstrate the advantages of VDC compared to the conventional top contact (TC) and bottom contact (BC) configurations. The increased contact area provides the charge injection efficiency at the metal-to-2D semiconductor interface and limiting the impact of contact and interlayer resistance on mobility and turn-on voltage. In particular, the reduced transfer length and contact resistance of VDC obtained through transfer length method (TLM) analysis, demonstrate clear advantages compared to the conventional contact electrode configurations.
Second, we fabricated tungsten diselenide (WSe2) devices with VDC and investigated the channel migration mechanism within the material under electrostatic gate and drain voltage conditions. We evaluated the electrical characteristics and charge behavior in comparison with TC, BC, and VDC. Based on the drain and gate bias dependent-shape modification of transconductance closely related to carrier transport mechanisms in 2D multilayers, we examined the redistribution of carrier density along the thickness of the multilayer material in terms of BC, TC, and VDC. In addition, we confirmed negative differential interlayer resistance (NDIR) in vertical resistance via four-probe measurement analysis in the VDC, and identified it as a result of channel migration.
Third, we report on the impact of interlayer resistance on carrier scattering mechanisms in multilayer ReS2 at high temperature regimes. Among various 2D multilayer materials, ReS2 exhibits high interlayer resistance, demonstrating the interlayer resistance effect is crucial for carrier transport inside a multilayer ReS2. At room temperature, we observe the conduction channel migration along the c-axis of the 2D ReS2 multilayer as the gate and drain voltages increase. However, at temperatures above 380 K, an anomalous peak in transconductance emerges, driving a sudden increase of the carrier mobility. These observations are closely related to the suppressed interlayer resistance. In addition, we can separate the contributions of Coulomb scattering, phonon scattering, and interlayer resistance scattering by analyzing the temperature-dependent carrier mobility using Matthiessen's rule.