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Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), such as MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2, have an interesting two-dimensional (2D) layer structure and semiconducting properties1-3. Scientists have recently discovered that the monolayer structure of MoS2 shows a substantially enhanced light-emitting efficiency because of the quantum confinement effect. The finding of the new direct-bandgap semiconductor material has attracted substantial attention4-7. In addition, the easily stripped layer structure of TMDs is an excellent platform for studying the fundamental properties of 2D materials. Unlike metallic graphene without the bandgap, TMDs have inherent semiconducting characteristics and have a bandgap in the range of 1-2 eV1,3,8. The 2D structures of the ternary compounds of TMDs9 and the possibility of the integration of these compounds with graphene provide an unprecedented opportunity to develop ultrathin and flexible electronic devices.
Unlike graphene, the room temperature electron mobility values of 2D TMDs are at a moderate level (1-200 cm2V−1sec−1 for MoS210-17; approximately 50 cm2V−1sec−1 for MoSe218). The optimal mobility values of graphene have been reported to be higher than 10,000 cm2V−1sec−1.19-21 Nevertheless, semiconducting TMD monolayers exhibit excellent device performance. For instance, the MoS2 and MoSe2 monolayers or multilayer field-effect transistors exhibit extremely high on/off ratios, up to 106-109 10,12,17,18,22. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the fundamental electrical properties of the 2D TMDs and their bulk materials.
However, studies of the electrical properties of the layer materials have been partially hampered because of the difficulty in forming good ohmic contact on the layer crystals. Three approaches, shadow mask deposition (SMD)23, electron beam lithography (EBL)24,25, and focused-ion beam (FIB) deposition,26,27 have been used to form electrical contacts on nanomaterials. Because SMD typically involves the use of a copper grid as the mask, the spacing between two contact electrodes is mostly larger than 10 μm. Unlike EBL and FIB deposition, metal deposition of electrode arrays on a substrate is performed without targeting or selecting nanomaterials of interest in the SMD method. This approach cannot guarantee that the metal patterns are correctly deposited on individual nanomaterials as the electrodes. The result of the SMD method has an element of chance. The EBL and FIB deposition methods are used in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) system; nanomaterials can be directly observed and selected for electrode deposition. In addition, EBL can be used to easily fabricate metal electrodes with a line width and a contact electrode spacing smaller than 100 nm. However, the residual resist on the nanomaterial surface left during lithography inevitably results in the formation of an insulating layer between the metal electrode and the nanomaterial. Thus, EBL leads to high contact resistance.
The main advantage of electrode fabrication through FIB deposition is that it leads to low contact resistance. Because metal deposition is performed by the decomposition of an organometallic precursor by using an ion beam at the defined area, metal deposition and ion bombardment occur simultaneously. This could destroy the metal–semiconductor interface and prevent the formation of Schottky contact. Ion bombardment can also eliminate surface contaminants such as hydrocarbons and native oxides, which decreases contact resistance. Ohmic contact fabrication through FIB deposition has been demonstrated for different nanomaterials27-29. In addition, the entire fabrication procedure in the FIB deposition approach is simpler than that in EBL.
As layer semiconductors typically show highly anisotropic electrical conduction, the conductivity in the layer-to-layer direction is several orders of magnitude lower than that in the in-plane direction30,31. This characteristic increases the difficulty of fabricating ohmic contacts and determining electrical conductivity. Therefore, in this study, FIB deposition was used for studying the electrical properties of layer semiconductor nanostructures.