MoS2 Transistors Operating at Gigahertz Frequencies

The presence of a direct band gap1-4 and an ultrathin form factor5 has caused a considerable interest in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors from the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) family with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) being the most studied representative of this family of materials. While diverse electronic elements,6,7 logic circuits,8,9 and optoelectronic devices12,13 have been demonstrated using ultrathin MoS2, very little is known about their performance at high frequencies where commercial devices are expected to function. Here, we report on top-gated MoS2 transistors operating in the gigahertz range of frequencies. Our devices show cutoff frequencies reaching 6 GHz. The presence of a band gap also gives rise to current saturation,10 allowing power and voltage gain, all in the gigahertz range. This shows that MoS2 could be an interesting material for realizing high-speed amplifiers and logic circuits with device scaling expected to result in further improvement of performance. Our work represents the first step in the realization of high-frequency analog and digital circuits based on 2D semiconductors.