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Electric field-assisted patterning of few-layer MoTe2 by scanning probe lithography

  • Original Paper - Condensed Matter
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Abstract

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been widely studied as attractive two-dimensional (2D) materials. In particular, specific TMD materials have attracted increasing attention because of their intriguing features as 2D topological insulators (TIs), which have a metallic edge state and bulk band gap. To realize next-generation devices that employ the metallic edge states of 2D TI materials, precise patterning of the edges is essential. In this study, we demonstrate a simple nanopatterning technique for 1 T’-MoTe2, which is known to be a 2D TI material, using atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based scanning probe lithography (SPL). Our AFM-based SPL method entails delicately scratching a few-layer 1 T’-MoTe2 sample while applying an electric field using a conductive AFM tip. The proposed method enables nanoscale lines, holes, and letters to be reliably patterned on the 1 T’-MoTe2 sample. This study results in the development of a clean method that is compatible with existing mass-production facilities to fabricate various TMD materials for realizing next-generation electronic devices and for studying the underlying physics of these materials.

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Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (Grant No. 2020R1A2C1005299).

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Author notes

  1. Min Seok Gu and JiYeon Ku authors contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Myongji University, Yongin, 17058, Korea

    Min Seok Gu & Chan Young Lee

  2. Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Suwon, 13595, Korea

    JiYeon Ku, Won-Jun Jang & Hyo Won Kim

  3. Department of Physics, Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, 54896, Korea

    Seong Heon Kim

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  1. Min Seok Gu
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Correspondence to Seong Heon Kim or Hyo Won Kim.

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Gu, M.S., Ku, J., Jang, WJ. et al. Electric field-assisted patterning of few-layer MoTe2 by scanning probe lithography. J. Korean Phys. Soc. 82, 274–279 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40042-022-00673-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40042-022-00673-x

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