Bowing-alleviated continuous bandgap engineering of wafer-scale WS2xSe2(1-x) monolayer alloys and their assembly into hetero-multilayers

Abstract

Bandgap engineering of compound semiconductors and the fabrication of bandgap-modulated heterostructures are important for enabling the development of modern optoelectronics. However, these engineering processes are challenging for two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors of transition metal dichalcogenides, particularly on a large scale. Herein, we report the wafer-scale homogeneous growth of composition-modulated WS2xSe2(1-x) alloys with a continuously tunable bandgap using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Well-optimized growth produces monolayer films with excellent homogeneity over the entire wafer. The substitutional atomic chalcogen (S, Se) concentration in WS2xSe2(1-x) alloys is precisely controlled by varying the flow rate of the metal-organic precursors, leading to a bandgap modulation from 1.67 to 2.05 eV, as determined from absorbance spectra. Notably, the optical bandgap of WS2xSe2(1-x) alloys exhibits a nearly linear relationship with the chalcogen composition, implying a low bowing effect. This bowing-alleviated bandgap modulation is attributed to the small lattice mismatch, strain relaxation, and thermodynamic miscibility in the WS2xSe2(1-x) alloys, as confirmed by density-functional theory calculations. Furthermore, the fabrication of hetero-multilayers by stacking differently alloyed films is demonstrated. The produced heterostructure film exhibits a broad spectral absorbance distinct from that of the individual layers. The findings of this study provide insights for the advancement of versatile design of functional 2D optoelectronics.