Intimate Ohmic contact to two-dimensional WSe2 via thermal alloying

Abstract

The most important interface in semiconductor devices is the interface between the semiconductor and the first layer of the metal contact. However, the van der Waals (vdWs) gap in two-dimensional (2D) materials hindered the formation of an intimate contact between the 2D material and the metal electrode, limiting the device performances. We demonstrated a gapless Ohmic contact to 2D WSe2 by forming a Pt-W-Se alloy, which significantly improved the device performances (contact resistance, current on/off ratio, output current density, field-effect mobility, and hysteresis) of the 2D WSe2 field-effect transistor. The contact resistance to 2D WSe2 was reduced by more than seven orders of magnitude after thermal alloying. The disappearance of the vdW gap confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy enhanced the hole conduction and quenched the electron conduction. Our strategy of metallurgical alloying is effective to form a low-resistance stable Ohmic contact to WSe2, which paves the way for utilization of the full potential of 2D materials.