MoS2(1-x) Se2x single-layer films are prepared using a mixture of organic selenium and sulfur precursors as well as a solid molybdenum source. The direct bandgaps are found to scale nearly linearly with composition in the range of 1.87 eV (pure single-layer MoS2 ) to 1.55 eV (pure single-layer MoSe2 ) permitting straightforward bandgap engineering.

Chemical vapor deposition allows the preparation of few-layer films of MoTe in three distinct structural phases depending on the growth quench temperature: 2H, 1T', and 1T. We present experimental and computed Raman spectra for each of the phases and utilize transport measurements to explore the properties of the 1T MoTe phase. Density functional theory modeling predicts a (semi-)metallic character. Our experimental 1T films affirm the former, show facile μA-scale source-drain currents, and increase in conductivity with temperature, different from the 1T' phase. Variation of the growth method allows the formation of hybrid films of mixed phases that exhibit susceptibility to gating and significantly increased conductivity.

Lithium niobate is the archetypical ferroelectric material and the substrate of choice for numerous applications including surface acoustic wave radio frequencies devices and integrated optics. It offers a unique combination of substantial piezoelectric and birefringent properties, yet its lack of optical activity and semiconducting transport hamper application in optoelectronics. Here we fabricate and characterize a hybrid MoS2/LiNbO3 acousto-electric device via a scalable route that uses millimetre-scale direct chemical vapour deposition of MoS2 followed by lithographic definition of a field-effect transistor structure on top. The prototypical device exhibits electrical characteristics competitive with MoS2 devices on silicon. Surface acoustic waves excited on the substrate can manipulate and probe the electrical transport in the monolayer device in a contact-free manner. We realize both a sound-driven battery and an acoustic photodetector. Our findings open directions to non-invasive investigation of electrical properties of monolayer films.

We used angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to map out the band structure of single-layer WSe2. The splitting of the top of the valence band because of spin-orbit coupling is 513 ± 10 meV, in general agreement with theoretical predictions and in the same range as that of bulk WSe2. Overall, our density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the band structure are in excellent agreement with the ARPES results. We have verified that the few discrepancies between theory and experiment are not due to the effect of strain. The differences between the DFT-calculated band structure using local density approximation (LDA) and that using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), for single-layer WSe2, are caused mainly by differences in the respective charge densities.

We demonstrate bandgap tuning of a single-layer MoS2 film on SiO2/Si via substitution of its sulfur atoms by selenium through a process of gentle sputtering, exposure to a selenium precursor, and annealing. We characterize the substitution process both for S/S and S/Se replacement. Photoluminescence and, in the latter case, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provide direct evidence of optical band gap shift and selenium incorporation, respectively. We discuss our experimental observations, including the limit of the achievable bandgap shift, in terms of the role of stress in the film as elucidated by computational studies, based on density functional theory. The resultant films are stable in vacuum, but deteriorate under optical excitation in air.

Micron-scale single-crystal nanowires of metallic TaSe3, a material that forms -Ta-Se3-Ta-Se3-stacks separated from one another by a tubular van der Waals (vdW) gap, have been synthesized using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a SiO2/Si substrate, in a process compatible with semiconductor industry requirements. Their electrical resistivity was found unaffected by downscaling from the bulk to as little as 7 nm in width and height, in striking contrast to the resistivity of copper for the same dimensions. While the bulk resistivity of TaSe3 is substantially higher than that of bulk copper, at the nanometer scale the TaSe3 wires become competitive to similar-sized copper ones. Moreover, we find that the vdW TaSe3 nanowires sustain current densities in excess of 10 8 A/cm 2 and feature an electromigration energy barrier twice that of copper. The results highlight the promise of quasi-onedimensional transition metal trichalcogenides for electronic interconnect applications and the potential of van der Waals materials for downscaled electronics.

Two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) plays a significant role in nanoscale electrical and optical devices because of its superior properties. However, the difficulties in the controllable growth of high-quality films hinder its applications. One of the crucial factors that influence the quality of the films obtained via epitaxy is the substrate property. Here, we report a study of 2D h-BN growth on carburized Ni substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. It was found that the carburization of Ni substrates with different surface orientations leads to different kinetics of h-BN growth. While the carburization of Ni(100) enhances the h-BN growth, the speed of the h-BN growth on carburized Ni(111) reduces. As-grown continuous single-layer h-BN films are used to fabricate Ni/h-BN/Ni metal–insulator–metal (MIM) devices, which demonstrate a high breakdown electric field of 12.9 MV/cm.

Two-dimensional wafer-scale and single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films are considered a crucial part of the next generation of van der Waals (vdW) electronic devices. Progress has been made in the synthesis process recently, leading to the demonstration of electronic devices. In this work, we report an effective method to synthesize high-quality single-crystal h-BN monolayer films. Single-crystal metal substrates were produced by thermal annealing of Ni foils, followed by electropolishing to remove the passivated surface layer. Molecular beam epitaxy was employed to synthesize 1 in.2 monolayer single-crystal h-BN films. We discovered that electropolishing plays an important role in drastically increasing the speed of h-BN film growth. Robust nanocapacitors were fabricated using as-grown monolayer h-BN films. The nanocapacitance effect and tunneling current mechanism were studied in detail, and the “effective distance” concept is introduced to explain the quantum phenomenon in the (vdW) metal–insulator–metal devices using atomically thin dielectric h-BN films.