Strain, Doping, and Electronic Transport of Large Area Monolayer MoS2 Exfoliated on Gold and Transferred to an Insulating Substrate

Gold-assisted mechanical exfoliation currently represents a promising method to separate ultralarge (centimeter scale) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers (1L) with excellent electronic and optical properties from the parent van der Waals (vdW) crystals. The strong interaction between Au and chalcogen atoms is key to achieving this nearly perfect 1L exfoliation yield. On the other hand, it may significantly affect the doping and strain of 1L TMDs in contact with Au. In this paper, we systematically investigated the morphology, strain, doping, and electrical properties of large area 1L MoS2 exfoliated on ultraflat Au films (0.16-0.21 nm roughness) and finally transferred to an insulating Al2O3 substrate. Raman mapping and correlative analysis of the E' and A(1) ' peak positions revealed a moderate tensile strain (epsilon approximate to 0.2%) and p-type doping (n approximate to -0.25 x 10(13) cm(-2)) of 1L MoS2 in contact with Au. Nanoscale resolution current mapping and current-voltage (I-V) measurements by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) showed direct tunneling across the 1L MoS2 on Au, with a broad distribution of tunneling barrier values (FB from 0.7 to 1.7 eV) consistent with p-type doping of MoS2. After the final transfer of 1L MoS2 on Al2O3/Si, the strain was converted to compressive strain (epsilon approximate to -0.25%). Furthermore, an n-type doping (n approximate to 0.5 x 10(13) cm(-2)) was deduced by Raman mapping and confirmed by electrical measurements of an Al2O3/Si back-gated 1L MoS2 transistor. These results provide a deeper understanding of the Au-assisted exfoliation mechanism and can contribute to its widespread application for the realization of novel devices and artificial vdW heterostructures.

Automated summary

This study systematically investigated the morphology, strain, doping, and electrical properties of large area 1L MoS2 exfoliated on ultraflat Au films and transferred to an insulating Al2O3 substrate. The results showed a moderate tensile strain and p-type doping of 1L MoS2 on Au, while compressive strain and n-type doping on Al2O3/Si. These findings deepen the understanding of the Au-assisted exfoliation mechanism and its potential applications for novel devices and artificial vdW heterostructures.