Lateral PIN (p-MoTe<sub>2</sub>/Intrinsic-MoTe<sub>2</sub>/n-MoTe<sub>2</sub>) Homojunction Photodiodes
Sikandar Aftab, Hafiz Muhammad Salman Ajmal, Ehsan Elahi, Hafiz Muhammad Mansoor Ul Haque, Samiya, Muhammad Waqas Iqbal, Jamal Aziz, Saqlain Yousuf, Muhammad Zahir Iqbal, Muhammad Arslan Shehzad
Abstract
The construction of high-speed electronic devices that can be integrated using a single two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor with high performance remains challenging due to the absence of locally selective doping methods. In this study, we have demonstrated that the selective opposite polarities (p-type or n-type) from an intrinsic 2H-MoTe2 field-effect transistor (FET) can be configured through carrier type band modulation in molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) caused by the charge storage interface in MoTe2/BN vdW heterostructures upon UV illumination with electrostatic gate bias. With this approach, we demonstrate a lateral p-i-n homojunction diode (p-MoTe2/intrinsic-MoTe2/n-MoTe2) using a single two-dimensional semiconductor (2H-MoTe2) where an intrinsic FET (i-type region) is sandwiched between p- and n-type FETs. Electrical performance of such a p-i-n diode demonstrates an ideal rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio (If/Ir) of up to ∼1.4 × 106 at zero gate bias with an ideal value of the ideality factor of nearly ∼1. To support optoelectrical doping, Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) measurements are performed where p- and n-type MoTe2 channels show work function values of ∼5.0 and ∼ 4.55 eV, respectively, with a built-in potential of ∼450 mV. In the photovoltaic mode, the p-i-n diode shows excellent photodetection properties under an illumination of 600 nm, a maximum value of responsivity of 1.10 A/W, and a specific detectivity value of 3.0 × 1012 Jones. The device shows ultrafast photoresponses, where the response speed (τr/τf) is estimated to be 10/20 ns. The proposed research offers an opportunity for creating stable p-i-n homojunction diodes for high-speed electronics with low power consumption using 2D materials.