The capability to finely tailor material thickness with simultaneous atomic precision and non-invasivity would be useful for constructing quantum platforms and post-Moore microelectronics. However, it remains challenging to attain synchronized controls over tailoring selectivity and precision. Here we report a protocol that allows for non-invasive and atomically digital etching of van der Waals transition-metal dichalcogenides through selective alloying via low-temperature thermal diffusion and subsequent wet etching. The mechanism of selective alloying between sacrifice metal atoms and defective or pristine dichalcogenides is analyzed with high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Also, the non-invasive nature and atomic level precision of our etching technique are corroborated by consistent spectral, crystallographic and electrical characterization measurements. The low-temperature charge mobility of as-etched MoS2 reaches up to 1200cm2⋅V−1⋅s−1, comparable to that of exfoliated pristine counterparts. The entire protocol represents a highly precise and non-invasive tailoring route for material manipulation.
@article{arxiv.2306.15139,
title = {Non-invasive digital etching of van der Waals semiconductors},
author = {Jian Zhou and Chunchen Zhang and Li Shi and Xiaoqing Chen Tae-Soo Kim and Minseung Gyeon and Jian Chen Jinlan Wang and Linwei Yu Xinran Wang Kibum Kang and Emanuele Orgiu and Paolo Samorì and Kenji Watanabe and Takashi Taniguchi and Kazuhito Tsukagoshi and Peng Wang and Yi Shi and Songlin Li},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2306.15139},
year = {2023}
}