Understanding ambipolar transport in MoS2 field effect transistors: the substrate is the key

2D materials offer a pathway for further scaling of CMOS technology. However, for this to become a reality, both n-MOS and p-MOS should be realized, ideally with the same (standard) material. In the specific case of MoS2 field effect transistors (FETs), ambipolar transport is seldom reported, primarily due to the phenomenon of Fermi level pinning (FLP). In this study we identify the possible sources of FLP in MoS2 FETs and resolve them individually. A novel contact transfer technique is used to transfer contacts on top of MoS2 flake devices that results in a significant increase in the hole branch of the transfer characteristics as compared to conventionally fabricated contacts. We hypothesize that the pinning not only comes from the contact-MoS2 interface, but also from the MoS2-substrate interface. We confirm this by shifting to an hBN substrate which leads to a 10 fold increase in the hole current compared to the SiO2 substrate. Furthermore, we analyse MoS2 FETs of different channel thickness on three different substrates, SiO2, hBN and Al2O3, by correlating the p-branch I-ON/I-OFF to the position of oxide defect band in these substrates. FLP from the oxide is reduced in the case of Al2O3 which enables us to observe ambipolar transport in a bilayer MoS2 FET. These results highlight that MoS2 is indeed an ambipolar material, and the absence of ambipolar transport in MoS2 FETs is strongly correlated to its dielectric environment and processing conditions.

Automated summary

2D materials such as MoS2 show promise for further scaling of CMOS technology, but achieving ambipolar transport in MoS2 FETs is challenging due to Fermi level pinning (FLP). This study successfully increases hole transport in MoS2 FETs by adjusting contact and substrate interfaces, demonstrating the material's ambipolar nature. The results highlight the importance of dielectric environment and processing conditions on ambipolar transport in MoS2 FETs.