Issue 15, 2016

Laser-induced electrochemical thinning of MoS2

Abstract

Single layers of two-dimensional metal chalcogenides, represented by molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), have attracted wide interest due to their atomically thin structures and unique electric and optical properties. The electrical properties of MoS2 depend on the number of layers. A single layer is a direct band-gap semiconductor exhibiting strong photoluminescence under photoexcitation, while multiple layers are indirect semiconductors. The control of the number of layers is essential for the application of MoS2 as a two-dimensional semiconducting nanomaterial. In this work, we present a new approach to control the number of MoS2 layers, where excitation by a laser can induce electrochemical etching of multiple layers of MoS2. The thinning process under laser-induced etching is a self-limited reaction. Electrochemical etching becomes inactive as the number of layers is reduced, leaving a single layer or a few layers of MoS2 on the substrate. The etched layers were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. A field effect transistor (FET) was also fabricated to test the electrical properties of the etched MoS2, demonstrating transistor behavior at the same threshold voltage as a multilayer MoS2 FET.

Graphical abstract: Laser-induced electrochemical thinning of MoS2

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Dec 2015
Accepted
09 Mar 2016
First published
09 Mar 2016

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016,4, 3268-3273

Laser-induced electrochemical thinning of MoS2

K. Sunamura, T. R. Page, K. Yoshida, T. Yano and Y. Hayamizu, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016, 4, 3268 DOI: 10.1039/C5TC04409J

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