Sung Kyu Jang

A Platform for Large-Scale Graphene Electronics – CVD Growth of Single-Layer Graphene on CVD-Grown Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Direct chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of single-layer graphene on CVD-grown hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) film can suggest a large-scale and high-quality graphene/h-BN film hybrid structure with a defect-free interface. This sequentially grown graphene/h-BN film shows better electronic properties than that of graphene/SiO2 or graphene transferred on h-BN film, and suggests a new promising template for graphene device fabrication.

Plasma-Treated Thickness-Controlled Two-Dimensional Black Phosphorus and Its Electronic Transport Properties

We report the preparation of thickness-controlled few-layer black phosphorus (BP) films through the modulated plasma treatment of BP flakes. Not only does the plasma treatment control the thickness of the BP film, it also removes the chemical degradation of the exposed oxidized BP surface, which results in enhanced field-effect transistor (FET) performance. Our fabricated BP FETs were passivated with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) immediately after the plasma etching process. With these techniques, a high field-effect mobility was achieved, 1150 cm(2)/(V s), with an Ion/Ioff ratio of ∼10(5) at room temperature. Furthermore, a fabricated FET with plasma-treated few-layer BP that was passivated with PMMA was found to retain its I-V characteristics and thus to exhibit excellent environmental stability over several weeks.

Controllable Nondegenerate p-Type Doping of Tungsten Diselenide by Octadecyltrichlorosilane

Despite heightened interest in 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) doping methods for future layered semiconductor devices, most doping research is currently limited to molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which is generally used for n-channel 2D transistors. In addition, previously reported TMD doping techniques result in only high-level doping concentrations (degenerate) in which TMD materials behave as near-metallic layers. Here, we demonstrate a controllable nondegenerate p-type doping (p-doping) technique on tungsten diselenide (WSe2) for p-channel 2D transistors by adjusting the concentration of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS). This p-doping phenomenon originates from the methyl (-CH3) functional groups in OTS, which exhibit a positive pole and consequently reduce the electron carrier density in WSe2. The controlled p-doping levels are between 2.1 × 10(11) and 5.2 × 10(11) cm(-2) in the nondegenerate regime, where the performance parameters of WSe2-based electronic and optoelectronic devices can be properly designed or optimized (threshold voltage↑, on-/off-currents↑, field-effect mobility↑, photoresponsivity↓, and detectivity↓ as the doping level increases). The p-doping effect provided by OTS is sustained in ambient air for a long time showing small changes in the device performance (18-34% loss of ΔVTH initially achieved by OTS doping for 60 h). Furthermore, performance degradation is almost completely recovered by additional thermal annealing at 120 °C. Through Raman spectroscopy and electrical/optical measurements, we have also confirmed that the OTS doping phenomenon is independent of the thickness of the WSe2 films. We expect that our controllable p-doping method will make it possible to successfully integrate future layered semiconductor devices.

High-Performance 2D Rhenium Disulfide (ReS2) Transistors and Photodetectors by Oxygen Plasma Treatment

A high-performance ReS2 -based thin-film transistor and photodetector with high on/off-current ratio (10(4) ), high mobility (7.6 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) ), high photoresponsivity (2.5 × 10(7) A W(-1) ), and fast temporal response (rising and decaying time of 670 ms and 5.6 s, respectively) through O2 plasma treatment is reported.

Wide-range controllable n-doping of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) through thermal and optical activation.

Despite growing interest in doping two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) for future layered semiconductor devices, controllability is currently limited to only heavy doping (degenerate regime). This causes 2D materials to act as metallic layers, and an ion implantation technique with precise doping controllability is not available for these materials (e.g., MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, WSe2, graphene). Since adjustment of the electrical and optical properties of 2D materials is possible within a light (nondegenerate) doping regime, a wide-range doping capability including nondegenerate and degenerate regimes is a critical aspect of the design and fabrication of 2D TMD-based electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we demonstrate a wide-range controllable n-doping method on a 2D TMD material (exfoliated trilayer and bulk MoS2) with the assistance of a phosphorus silicate glass (PSG) insulating layer, which has the broadest doping range among the results reported to date (between 3.6 × 10(10) and 8.3 × 10(12) cm(-2)) and is also applicable to other 2D semiconductors. This is achieved through (1) a three-step process consisting of, first, dopant out-diffusion between 700 and 900 °C, second, thermal activation at 500 °C, and, third, optical activation above 5 μW steps and (2) weight percentage adjustment of P atoms in PSG (2 and 5 wt %). We anticipate our widely controllable n-doping method to be a starting point for the successful integration of future layered semiconductor devices.

n- and p-Type Doping Phenomenon by Artificial DNA and M-DNA on Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanotechnology holds great potential for the development of extremely small devices with increasingly complex functionality. However, most current research related to DNA is limited to crystal growth and synthesis. In addition, since controllable doping methods like ion implantation can cause fatal crystal damage to 2D TMD materials, it is very hard to achieve a low-level doping concentration (nondegenerate regime) on TMD in the present state of technology. Here, we report a nondegenerate doping phenomenon for TMD materials (MoS2 and WSe2, which represent n- and p-channel materials, respectively) using DNA and slightly modified DNA by metal ions (Zn(2+), Ni(2+), Co(2+), and Cu(2+)), named as M-DNA. This study is an example of interdisciplinary convergence research between DNA nanotechnology and TMD-based 2D device technology. The phosphate backbone (PO4(-)) in DNA attracts and holds hole carriers in the TMD region, n-doping the TMD films. Conversely, M-DNA nanostructures, which are functionalized by intercalating metal ions, have positive dipole moments and consequently reduce the electron carrier density of TMD materials, resulting in p-doping phenomenon. N-doping by DNA occurs at ∼6.4 × 10(10) cm(-2) on MoS2 and ∼7.3 × 10(9) cm(-2) on WSe2, which is uniform across the TMD area. p-Doping which is uniformly achieved by M-DNA occurs between 2.3 × 10(10) and 5.5 × 10(10) cm(-2) on MoS2 and between 2.4 × 10(10) and 5.0 × 10(10) cm(-2) on WSe2. These doping levels are in the nondegenerate regime, allowing for the proper design of performance parameters of TMD-based electronic and optoelectronic devices (VTH, on-/off-currents, field-effect mobility, photoresponsivity, and detectivity). In addition, by controlling the metal ions used, the p-doping level of TMD materials, which also influences their performance parameters, can be controlled. This interdisciplinary convergence research will allow for the successful integration of future layered semiconductor devices requiring extremely small and very complicated structures.

Synthesis and Characterization of Hexagonal Boron Nitride as a Gate Dielectric.

Two different growth modes of large-area hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) film, a conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth mode and a high-pressure CVD growth mode, were compared as a function of the precursor partial pressure. Conventional self-limited CVD growth was obtained below a critical partial pressure of the borazine precursor, whereas a thick h-BN layer (thicker than a critical thickness of 10 nm) was grown beyond a critical partial pressure. An interesting coincidence of a critical thickness of 10 nm was identified in both the CVD growth behavior and in the breakdown electric field strength and leakage current mechanism, indicating that the electrical properties of the CVD h-BN film depended significantly on the film growth mode and the resultant film quality.

Probing graphene defects and estimating graphene quality with optical microscopy

We report a simple and accurate method for detecting graphene defects that utilizes the mild, dry annealing of graphene/Cu films in air. In contrast to previously reported techniques, our simple approach with optical microscopy can determine the density and degree of dislocation of defects in a graphene film without inducing water-related damage or functionalization. Scanning electron microscopy, confocal Raman and atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis were performed to demonstrate that our nondestructive approach to characterizing graphene defects with optimized thermal annealing provides rapid and comprehensive determinations of graphene quality.

Controlling Grain Size and Continuous Layer Growth in Two-Dimensional MoS 2 Films for Nanoelectronic Device Application

We report that control over the grain size and lateral growth of monolayer MoS₂ film, yielding a uniform large-area monolayer MoS₂ film, can be achieved by submitting the SiO₂ surfaces of the substrates to oxygen plasma treatment and modulating substrate temperature in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images and Raman spectra revealed that the MoS₂ lateral growth could be controlled by the surface treatment conditions and process temperatures. Moreover, the obtained monolayer MoS₂ films showed excellent scalable uniformity covering a centimeter-scale SiO₂ /Si substrates, which was confirmed with Raman and photoluminescence mapping studies. Transmission electron microscopy measurements revealed that the MoS₂ film of the monolayer was largely single crystalline in nature. Back-gate field effect transistors based on a CVD-grown uniform monolayer MoS₂ film showed a good current on/off ratio of ~10⁶ and a field effect mobility of 7.23 cm²/V·s. Our new approach to growing MoS₂ films is anticipated to advance studies of MoS₂ or other transition metal dichalcogenide material growth mechanisms and to facilitate the mass production of uniform high-quality MoS₂ films for the commercialization of a variety of applications.

Harnessing denatured protein for controllable bipolar doping of a monolayer graphene.

In this work, we demonstrated tunable p- and/or n-type doping of chemical vapor deposition-grown graphene with the use of protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a dopant. BSA undergoes protonation or deprotonation reaction subject to solution pH, thereby acting as either an electron donor or an electron acceptor on the graphene surface layered with denatured BSA through π-stacking interaction. This direct annealing of graphene with denatured BSA of amphoteric nature rendered facilitated fabrication of a p- and/or n-type graphene transistor by modulating pH-dependent net charges of the single dopant. Following AFM confirmation of the BSA/graphene interface assembly, the carrier transport properties of BSA-doped graphene transistors were assessed by I-V measurement and Raman spectra to show effective charge modulation of the graphene enabled by BSA doping at various pH conditions. The protein-mediated bipolar doping of graphene demonstrated in our work is simple, scalable, and straightforward; the proposed scheme is therefore expected to provide a useful alternative for fabricating graphene transistors of novel properties and promote their implementation in practice.