Low Contact Barrier in 2H/1T′ MoTe2 In-Plane Heterostructure Synthesized by Chemical Vapor Deposition

Metal–semiconductor contact has been a critical topic in the semiconductor industry because it influences device performance remarkably. Conventional metals have served as the major contact material in electronic and optoelectronic devices, but such a selection becomes increasingly inadequate for emerging novel materials such as two-dimensional (2D) materials. Deposited metals on semiconducting 2D channels usually form large resistance contacts due to the high Schottky barrier. A few approaches have been reported to reduce the contact resistance but they are not suitable for large-scale application or they cannot create a clean and sharp interface. In this study, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique is introduced to produce large-area semiconducting 2D material (2H MoTe2) planarly contacted by its metallic phase (1T′ MoTe2). We demonstrate the phase-controllable synthesis and systematic characterization of large-area MoTe2 films, including pure 2H phase or 1T′ phase, and 2H/1T′ in-plane heterostructure. Theoretical simulation shows a lower Schottky barrier in 2H/1T′ junction than in Ti/2H contact, which is confirmed by electrical measurement. This one-step CVD method to synthesize large-area, seamless-bonding 2D lateral metal–semiconductor junction can improve the performance of 2D electronic and optoelectronic devices, paving the way for large-scale 2D integrated circuits.