Large-area optoelectronic-grade InSe thin films via controlled phase evolution

Hadallia Bergeron, Linda M. Guiney, Megan E. Beck, Chi Zhang, Vinod K. Sangwan, Carlos G. Torres-Castanedo, J. Tyler Gish, Rahul Rao, Drake R. Austin, Silu Guo, David Lam, Katherine Su, Paul T. Brown, Nicholas R. Glavin, Benji Maruyama, Michael J. Bedzyk, Vinayak P. Dravid, Mark C. Hersam*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Indium monoselenide (InSe) is an emerging two-dimensional semiconductor with superlative electrical and optical properties whose full potential for high-performance electronics and optoelectronics has been limited by the lack of reliable large-area thin-film synthesis methods. The difficulty in InSe synthesis lies in the complexity of the indium-selenium phase diagram and inadequate understanding of how this complexity is manifested in the growth of thin films. Herein, we present a systematic method for synthesizing InSe thin films by pulsed laser deposition followed by vacuum thermal annealing. The controlled phase evolution of the annealed InSe thin films is elucidated using a comprehensive set of in situ and ex situ characterization techniques. The annealing temperature is identified as the key parameter in controlling phase evolution with pure thin films of InSe developed within a window of 325 °C to 425 °C. To exert finer stoichiometric control over the as-deposited InSe thin film, a co-deposition scheme utilizing InSe and In2Se3 pulsed laser deposition targets is employed to mitigate the effects of mass loss during annealing, ultimately resulting in the synthesis of centimeter-scale, thickness-tunable ϵ-InSe thin films with high crystallinity. The optimized InSe thin films possess a strong optoelectronic response, exhibited by phototransistors with high responsivities up to 103 A/W. Additionally, enhancement-mode InSe field-effect transistors are fabricated over large areas with device yields exceeding 90% and high on/off current modulation greater than 104, realizing a degree of electronic uniformity previously unattained in InSe thin-film synthesis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number041402
JournalApplied Physics Reviews
Volume7
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2020

Funding

This research was supported by the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) of Northwestern University (NSF DMR-1720139) and the Air Force Research Laboratory under Agreement No. FA8650-15-2-5518. H.B acknowledges support from the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship-Doctoral Program. M.E.B. and H.B. acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. R.R. and B.M. acknowledge funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (LRIR No. 16RXCOR322). This work made use of the Pulsed Laser Deposition Shared Facility and the Jerome B. Cohen X-Ray Diffraction Facility at the Materials Research Center at Northwestern University, which is supported by the National Science Foundation MRSEC program (DMR-1720139) and the Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource (NSF ECCS-1542205). This work also made use of the EPIC and Keck-II facility of Northwestern University's NUANCE Center, which has received support from the SHyNE Resource, the MRSEC program, the International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN), the Keck Foundation, and the State of Illinois. H.B. acknowledges Dr. D. Bruce Buchholz, Elise Goldfine, and Dr. Bernard Beckerman for their technical contributions and helpful discussions. The U.S. government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the sponsors.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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