Barrier-free semimetallic PtSe2 contact formation in two-dimensional PtSe2/PtSe2 homostructure for high-performance field-effect transistors

Abstract

The search for low-resistance metal contacts on two-dimensional (2D) layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) materials for high-performance electronic devices remains challenging owing to the lack of interfacial bonding on the surface and a strong Fermi-level pinning effect. In this study, we demonstrate a high-performance 2D large-area homostructured PtSe2/PtSe2 field-effect transistor (FET) by introducing a Schottky-barrier-free and semimetallic PtSe2 film (top layer) as an ohmic contact to semiconducting 2D PtSe2 films (bottom layer) via the wet-transfer method. We successfully improved the current on/off ratio of homostructured 2D/2D PtSe2/PtSe2 FET by more than approximately twofold increase compared to the PtSe2 FET with Pt contacts owing to the barrier-free homojunction PtSe2 layer. Our finding represents a significant achievement in obtaining high-performance electronic devices with barrier-free contacts on homostructured PtSe2 FETs and paves the way toward a promising strategy for wafer-scale 2D TMDC electronic devices. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.