Boosting the Optoelectronic Properties of Molybdenum Diselenide by Combining Phase Transition Engineering with Organic Cationic Dye Doping

Abstract

Two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been investigated intensively as next-generation semiconducting materials. However, conventional TMD-based devices exhibit large contact resistance at the interface between the TMD and the metal electrode because of Fermi level pinning and the Schottky barrier, which results in poor charge injection. Here, we present enhanced charge transport characteristics in molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) by means of a sequential engineering process called PESOD-2H/1T (i.e., phase transition engineering combined with surface transfer organic cationic dye doping; 2H and 1T represent the trigonal prismatic and octahedral phases, respectively). Substantial improvements are observed in PESOD-processed MoSe2 phototransistors, specifically, an approximately 40 000-fold increase in effective carrier mobility and a 100 000-fold increase in photoresponsivity, compared with the mobility and photoresponsivity of intact MoSe2 phototransistors. Moreover, the PESOD-processed MoSe2 phototransistor on a flexible substrate maintains its optoelectronic properties under tensile stress, with a bending radius of 5 mm. © 2021 American Chemical Society.