Interface Influence on the Photoelectric Performance of Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Lateral Heterojunctions

The ultrathin feature of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has brought special performance in electronic and optoelectronic fields. When vertical and lateral heterojunctions are made using different TMD combinations, the original properties of premier TMDs can be optimized. Especially for lateral heterojunctions, their sharp interface signifies a narrow space charge region, leading to a strong in-plane built-in electric field, which may contribute to high separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers, good rectification behavior, self-powered photoelectric device construction, etc. However, due to the poor controllability over the synthesis process, obtaining a clean and sharp interface of the lateral heterojunction is still a challenge. Herein, we propose a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, which can effectively separate the growth process of different TMDs, thus resulting in good regulation of the composition change at the junction region. By this method, MoS2-WS2 lateral heterojunctions with sharp interfaces have been obtained with good rectification characteristics, similar to 105 on/off ratio, 1874% external quantum efficiency, and similar to 120 ms photoresponse speed, exhibiting a better photoelectric performance than that of the lateral ones with graded junctions.