Spin-on-diffussants for doping in transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors

Spin-on-diffussant (SoD) processing as a doping technique in two-dimensional semiconductors shows a general process compatibility with materials such as MoS2 and WSe2. The characteristic Raman modes in chemical vapor deposition-grown MoS2 are retained after a phosphorus-based SoD processing at temperatures up to 1000 °C; the evolution of the characteristic Raman peaks with SoD processing indicates a reduction in the intrinsic electron concentration. Electrical measurements show a corresponding p-type shift in the MoS2 MOSFET transfer characteristics and indicate possible oxidation of MoS2 by the SoD processing. Both these effects correlate with XPS measurements which confirm the diffusion of phosphorus atoms into MoS2 and increased atomic percentage of Mo oxide after SoD processing. The p-type shifts in the electrical characteristics correspond to a maximum of 2.4 × 1012 cm–2 change in the intrinsic carrier concentration. Repeating the experiment on WSe2 flake devices leads to similar trends: an increased p-type and a decreased n-type conduction indicating p-type doping and a significant increase in the OFF-state leakage current.