All-Transfer Electrode Interface Engineering Toward Harsh-Environment-Resistant MoS2 Field-Effect Transistors

Adv Mater. 2023 May;35(18):e2210735. doi: 10.1002/adma.202210735. Epub 2023 Feb 17.

Abstract

Nanoscale electronic devices that can work in harsh environments are in high demand for wearable, automotive, and aerospace electronics. Clean and defect-free interfaces are of vital importance for building nanoscale harsh-environment-resistant devices. However, current nanoscale devices are subject to failure in these environments, especially at defective electrode-channel interfaces. Here, harsh-environment-resistant MoS2 transistors are developed by engineering electrode-channel interfaces with an all-transfer of van der Waals electrodes. The delivered defect-free, graphene-buffered electrodes keep the electrode-channel interfaces intact and robust. As a result, the as-fabricated MoS2 devices have reduced Schottky barrier heights, leading to a very large on-state current and high carrier mobility. More importantly, the defect-free, hydrophobic graphene buffer layer prevents metal diffusion from the electrodes to MoS2 and the intercalation of water molecules at the electrode-MoS2 interfaces. This enables high resistances of MoS2 devices with all-transfer electrodes to various harsh environments, including humid, oxidizing, and high-temperature environments, surpassing the devices with other kinds of electrodes. The work deepens the understanding of the roles of electrode-channel interfaces in nanoscale devices and provides a promising interface engineering strategy to build nanoscale harsh-environment-resistant devices.

Keywords: field-effect transistors; harsh-environment resistance; interface engineering; molybdenum disulfide; van der Waals electrodes.