Reconfigurable carrier type and photodetection of MoTe2 of various thicknesses by deep ultraviolet light illumination.

Abstract

Tuning of the Fermi level in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) leads to devices with excellent electrical and optical properties. In this study, we controlled the Fermi level of MoTe2 by deep ultraviolet (DUV) light illumination in different gaseous environments. Specifically, we investigated the reconfigurable carrier type of an intrinsic p-MoTe2 flake that gradually transformed into n-MoTe2 after illumination with DUV light for 30, 60, 90, 120, 160, 250, 500, 900, and 1200 s in a nitrogen (N2) gas environment. Subsequently, we illuminated this n-MoTe2 sample with DUV light in oxygen (O2) gas and reversed its carrier polarity toward p-MoTe2. However, using this doping scheme to reveal the effect of DUV light on various layers (3–30 nm) of MoTe2 is challenging. The DUV + N2 treatment significantly altered the polarity of MoTe2 of different thicknesses from p-type to n-type under the DUV + N2 treatment, but the DUV + O2 treatment did not completely alter the polarity of thicker n-MoTe2 flakes to p-type. In addition, we investigated the photoresponse of MoTe2 after DUV light treatment in N2 and O2 gas environments. From the time-resolved photoresponsivity at different polarity states of MoTe2, we have shown that the response time of the DUV + O2 treated p-MoTe2 is faster than that of the pristine and doped n-MoTe2 films. These carrier polarity modulations and photoresponse paves the way for wider applications of MoTe2 in optoelectronic devices.