Wafer-Scale Synthesis of WS(2) Films with In Situ Controllable p-Type Doping by Atomic Layer Deposition

Wafer-scale synthesis of p-type TMD films is critical for its commercialization in next-generation electro/optoelectronics. In this work, wafer-scale intrinsic n-type WS(2) films and in situ Nb-doped p-type WS(2) films were synthesized through atomic layer deposition (ALD) on 8-inch α-Al(2)O(3)/Si wafers, 2-inch sapphire, and 1 cm(2) GaN substrate pieces. The Nb doping concentration was precisely controlled by altering cycle number of Nb precursor and activated by postannealing. WS(2) n-FETs and Nb-doped p-FETs with different Nb concentrations have been fabricated using CMOS-compatible processes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Hall measurements confirmed the effective substitutional doping with Nb. The on/off ratio and electron mobility of WS(2) n-FET are as high as 10(5) and 6.85 cm(2) V(−1) s(−1), respectively. In WS(2) p-FET with 15-cycle Nb doping, the on/off ratio and hole mobility are 10 and 0.016 cm(2) V(−1) s(−1), respectively. The p-n structure based on n- and p- type WS(2) films was proved with a 10(4) rectifying ratio. The realization of controllable in situ Nb-doped WS(2) films paved a way for fabricating wafer-scale complementary WS(2) FETs.