0D Nanocrystals as Light-Driven, Localized Charge-Injection Sources for the Contactless Manipulation of Atomically Thin 2D Materials

A contactless charge-injection scheme that allows the local and quasi-permanent manipulation of atomically thin 2D materials, such as monolayer (1L-)MoS2, over spatial extents of several tens of micrometers, is reported. The possibility to precisely position and localize the charge-injection source to the micrometer scale post-fabrication allows the investigation of local unperturbed electronic structure of the 2D material. Thanks to this novel approach, the important impact of sample inhomogeneity on the charge-carrier percolation that occurs over the entire extent of the 2D flake and proliferates up to 40 mu m away from the localized charge injection is elucidated. The apparent driving force for carrier relocation is the initial inhomogeneous electronic landscape of the 2D material. These studies demonstrate that local and contactless charge injection with submicrometer precision delivers an alternative route for charge injection and indicates that local 2D material electronic structure can serve as a key element for novel nanoscale device design.

Automated summary

The study introduces a contactless charge-injection scheme for manipulation and investigation of 2D materials, demonstrating the impact of charge injection on the electronic structure and suggesting a new route for nanoscale device design utilizing local 2D material electronic structure.