Low-Temperature and Large-Scale Production of a Transition Metal Sulfide Vertical Heterostructure and Its Application for Photodetectors

The conventional synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) heterostructures is low yielding and lack the heterojunction interface quality. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques have achieved high-quality heterostructure interfaces but require a high synthesis temperature (>600 °C) and have a low yield of heterostructures. Therefore, the large scale and high interface quality of TMDC heterojunctions using low-temperature synthesis methods are in demand. Here, high-quality, wafer-scale MoS2 and WS2 heterostructures with 2D interfaces were prepared by a one-step sulfurization of the molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) precursors via plasma-enhanced CVD at a relatively low temperature (150 °C). The 4 inch wafer-scale synthesis of the MoS2–WS2 heterostructures was validated using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Further, the photocurrent generation and photoswitching phenomenon of the so-obtained MoS2–WS2 heterostructures were studied. The photodevice prepared by the MoS2–WS2 heterostructures at 150 °C showed a photoresponsivity of 83.75 mA/W. The excellent photoresponse and faster photoswitching highlight the advantage of MoS2–WS2 heterostructures toward advanced photodetectors.