Issue 42, 2022

Solution processed, vertically stacked hetero-structured diodes based on liquid-exfoliated WS2 nanosheets: from electrode-limited to bulk-limited behavior

Abstract

Vertically stacked metal–semiconductor-metal heterostructures, based on liquid-processed nanomaterials, hold great potential for various printed electronic applications. Here we describe the fabrication of such devices by spray-coating semiconducting tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanosheets onto indium tin oxide (ITO) bottom electrodes, followed by spraying single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as the top electrode. Depending on the formulation of the SWNTs ink, we could fabricate either Ohmic or Schottky contacts at the WS2/SWNTs interface. Using isopropanol-dispersed SWNTs led to Ohmic contacts and bulk-limited devices, characterized by out-of-plane conductivities of ∼10−4 S m−1. However, when aqueous SWNTs inks were used, rectification was observed, due to the formation of a doping-induced Schottky barrier at the WS2/SWNTs interface. For thin WS2 layers, such devices were characterized by a barrier height of ∼0.56 eV. However, increasing the WS2 film thickness led to increased series resistance, leading to a change-over from electrode-limited to bulk-limited behavior at a transition thickness of ∼2.6 μm. This work demonstrates that Ohmic/Schottky behavior is tunable and lays the foundation for fabricating large-area 2D nanosheet-based solution-deposited devices and stacks.

Graphical abstract: Solution processed, vertically stacked hetero-structured diodes based on liquid-exfoliated WS2 nanosheets: from electrode-limited to bulk-limited behavior

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Jul 2022
Accepted
14 Oct 2022
First published
17 Oct 2022

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 15679-15690

Solution processed, vertically stacked hetero-structured diodes based on liquid-exfoliated WS2 nanosheets: from electrode-limited to bulk-limited behavior

S. Liu, E. Ding, A. G. Kelly, L. Doolan, C. Gabbett, H. Kaur, J. Munuera, T. Carey, J. Garcia and J. N. Coleman, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 15679 DOI: 10.1039/D2NR04196K

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