Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Wafer-scale integration of transition metal dichalcogenide field-effect transistors using adhesion lithography

Abstract

Field-effect transistors based on two-dimensional materials are a potential replacement for silicon-based devices in next-generation semiconductor chips. However, the weak interfacial adhesion energy between two-dimensional materials and substrates can lead to low yields and non-uniform transistors on the wafer scale. Furthermore, conventional photolithography processes—including photochemical reactions and chemical etching—can damage atomically thin materials. Here we show that the interfacial adhesion energy between two-dimensional materials and different substrates can be quantified using a four-point bending method. We find that a molybdenum disulfide/silicon dioxide interface has an interfacial adhesion energy of 0.2 J m−2, which can be modulated from 0 to 1.0 J m−2 by incorporating self-assembled monolayers with different end-termination chemistries. We use this to create an adhesion lithography method that is based on adhesion energy differences and physical etching processes. We use this approach to fabricate more than 10,000 molybdenum disulfide field-effect transistors on six-inch wafers with a yield of around 100%.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Quantification of the IAE value of MoS2/metal, MoS2/insulator and MoS2/2D using a four-point bending method.
Fig. 2: Engineering the adhesion energy of MoS2/insulator interface with various SAMs.
Fig. 3: Patterning method for MoS2 without photolithography and etching processes.
Fig. 4: FET uniformity over a six-inch wafer.

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Code availability

The computer code used in this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

References

  1. Liu, Y. et al. Promises and prospects of two-dimensional transistors. Nature 591, 43–53 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lanza, M., Smets, Q., Huyghebaert, C. & Li, L.-J. Yield, variability, reliability, and stability of two-dimensional materials based solid-state electronic devices. Nat. Commun. 11, 5689 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Liu, Y. et al. Approaching the Schottky–Mott limit in van der Waals metal–semiconductor junctions. Nature 557, 696–700 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Wang, Y. et al. Van der Waals contacts between three-dimensional metals and two-dimensional semiconductors. Nature 568, 70–74 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kang, K. et al. Layer-by-layer assembly of two-dimensional materials into wafer-scale heterostructures. Nature 550, 229–233 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Xiong, K. et al. CMOS-compatible batch processing of monolayer MoS2 MOSFETs. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 51, 15LT02 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lee, Y.-H. et al. Synthesis of large-area MoS2 atomic layers with chemical vapor deposition. Adv. Mater. 24, 2320–2325 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Guo, Y. et al. Additive manufacturing of patterned 2D semiconductor through recyclable masked growth. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 3437–3442 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Koenig, S. P., Boddeti, N. G., Dunn, M. L. & Bunch, J. S. Ultrastrong adhesion of graphene membranes. Nat. Nanotechnol. 6, 543–546 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Koren, E., Lörtscher, E., Rawlings, C., Knoll, A. W. & Duerig, U. Adhesion and friction in mesoscopic graphite contacts. Science 348, 679–683 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Li, B. et al. Probing van der Waals interactions at two-dimensional heterointerfaces. Nat. Nanotechnol. 14, 567–572 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Rokni, H. & Lu, W. Direct measurements of interfacial adhesion in 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures in ambient air. Nat. Commun. 11, 5607 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Megra, Y. T. & Suk, J. W. Adhesion properties of 2D materials. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 52, 364002 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Dauskardt, R. H., Lane, M., Ma, Q. & Krishna, N. Adhesion and debonding of multi-layer thin film structures. Eng. Fract. Mech. 61, 141–162 (1998).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Walia, S. et al. Characterization of metal contacts for two-dimensional MoS2 nanoflakes. Appl. Phys. Lett. 103, 232105 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Jung, Y. et al. Transferred via contacts as a platform for ideal two-dimensional transistors. Nat. Electron. 2, 187–194 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Huang, Y. et al. Universal mechanical exfoliation of large-area 2D crystals. Nat. Commun. 11, 2453 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Zhong, H. et al. Interfacial properties of monolayer and bilayer MoS2 contacts with metals: beyond the energy band calculations. Sci. Rep. 6, 21786 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Popov, I., Seifert, G. & Tománek, D. Designing electrical contacts to MoS2 monolayers: a computational study. Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 156802 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Robertson, J. & Falabretti, B. Band offsets of high K gate oxides on III-V semiconductors. J. Appl. Phys. 100, 014111 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Vu, Q. A. et al. Near-zero hysteresis and near-ideal subthreshold swing in h-BN encapsulated single-layer MoS2 field-effect transistors. 2D Mater. 5, 031001 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Najmaei, S. et al. Tailoring the physical properties of molybdenum disulfide monolayers by control of interfacial chemistry. Nano Lett. 14, 1354–1361 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Kobayashi, S. et al. Control of carrier density by self-assembled monolayers in organic field-effect transistors. Nat. Mater. 3, 317–322 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Yu, Z. et al. Towards intrinsic charge transport in monolayer molybdenum disulfide by defect and interface engineering. Nat. Commun. 5, 5290 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Cernetic, N. et al. Systematic doping control of CVD graphene transistors with functionalized aromatic self-assembled monolayers. Adv. Funct. Mater. 24, 3464–3470 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Azcatl, A. et al. Covalent nitrogen doping and compressive strain in MoS2 by remote N2 plasma exposure. Nano Lett. 16, 5437–5443 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Yue, Q., Chang, S., Qin, S. & Li, J. Functionalization of monolayer MoS2 by substitutional doping: a first-principles study. Phys. Lett. A 377, 1362–1367 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Zhang, X. et al. Poly(4-styrenesulfonate)-induced sulfur vacancy self-healing strategy for monolayer MoS2 homojunction photodiode. Nat. Commun. 8, 15881 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Kwak, J., Choi, O., Sim, E. & Lee, S.-Y. Evaluation of photoluminescence quenching for assessing the binding of nitroaromatic compounds to a tyrosyl bolaamphiphile self-assembly. Analyst 140, 5354–5360 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Wang, L. et al. One-dimensional electrical contact to a two-dimensional material. Science 342, 614–617 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Dulcey, C. S. et al. Deep UV photochemistry of chemisorbed monolayers: patterned coplanar molecular assemblies. Science 252, 551–554 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Kang, K. et al. High-mobility three-atom-thick semiconducting films with wafer-scale homogeneity. Nature 520, 656–660 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Meng, W. et al. Three-dimensional monolithic micro-LED display driven by atomically thin transistor matrix. Nat. Nanotechnol. 16, 1231–1236 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Seol, M. et al. High-throughput growth of wafer-scale monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide via vertical Ostwald ripening. Adv. Mater. 32, 2003542 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics. We appreciate the insightful discussions with Y. Cho and data analysis by W. Baek and J. Chung.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

V.L.N. conceived the main idea, performed most of the experiments and interpreted the data. M.S. synthesized MoS2 and WS2 and interpreted the experimental data. J.K. wrote the program for the extraction of FET properties. E.-K.L. contributed to the four-point bending machine setup. W.-J.J. and H.W.K. performed the STM measurement. C.L., J.H.K. and J.P. provided the 500-nm-grain-size MoS2 and WSe2. M.S.Y. performed the WSe2 growth. V.L.N. and H.‐J.S. wrote the manuscript. H.‐J.S. supervised this project. All the authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hyeon-Jin Shin.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Electronics thanks Derek Ho, Kenneth Liechti and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figs. 1–29, Equations (1) and (2).

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Nguyen, V.L., Seol, M., Kwon, J. et al. Wafer-scale integration of transition metal dichalcogenide field-effect transistors using adhesion lithography. Nat Electron 6, 146–153 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-022-00890-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-022-00890-z

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing