Spatially controlled doping of two-dimensional SnS2 through intercalation for electronics

Doped semiconductors are the most important building elements for modern electronic devices 1 . In silicon-based integrated circuits, facile and controllable fabrication and integration of these materials can be realized without introducing a high-resistance interface 2 , 3 . Besides, the emergence of two-dimensional (2D) materials enables the realization of atomically thin integrated circuits 4 – 9 . However, the 2D nature of these materials precludes the use of traditional ion implantation techniques for carrier doping and further hinders device development 10 . Here, we demonstrate a solvent-based intercalation method to achieve p-type, n-type and degenerately doped semiconductors in the same parent material at the atomically thin limit. In contrast to naturally grown n-type S-vacancy SnS 2 , Cu intercalated bilayer SnS 2 obtained by this technique displays a hole field-effect mobility of ~40 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , and the obtained Co-SnS 2 exhibits a metal-like behaviour with sheet resistance comparable to that of few-layer graphene 5 . Combining this intercalation technique with lithography, an atomically seamless p–n–metal junction could be further realized with precise size and spatial control, which makes in-plane heterostructures practically applicable for integrated devices and other 2D materials. Therefore, the presented intercalation method can open a new avenue connecting the previously disparate worlds of integrated circuits and atomically thin materials. Intercalation of copper and cobalt atoms into n-type SnS 2 enables seamless integration of metal, and n- and p-type semiconductors in one parent 2D material.