Ultra-Low Power CMOS Logic and Photodetection in WSe 2 Semiconductors by Selective Area Plasma Doping

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Authors: J.-J. Lin, He-Yu Chen, Sheng‐Zhu Ho, Xiaofan Lin, Greg Chu, Faris Abualnaja, Zhen‐You Lin, Y. L. Hsieh, Kuo‐En Chang, C L Wu, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi
+4 more Yi-Chun Chen, Tse‐Ming Chen, Jack Alexander-Webber, Luke W. Smith
Cited by: 1
References: 73

Abstract

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Among two-dimensional semiconductors, tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ) is particularly suitable for monolithic complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) architectures due to its tunable carrier polarity. Surface oxidation has emerged as a simple and effective route to control polarity and enhance p-type behavior; however, despite its widespread use, fundamental characterization of the oxide-induced electrostatic landscape in WSe 2 remains limited. Here, we employ surface oxidation and selective-area oxide removal to form a lateral junction within few-layer WSe 2 . We apply a modified broadband electrostatic force microscopy technique to map nanoscale capacitance variations, providing contact-free insight into local carrier dynamics analogous to conventional MOS C – V measurements, probing oxide-induced electronic effects beyond conventional spectroscopy methods. Bias-dependent measurements reveal a distinct p–n junction between oxidized and oxide-removed regions, with a built-in surface potential difference of approximately 120 meV measured by Kelvin probe force microscopy, demonstrating spatially controlled polarity engineering without heterogeneous material integration. Field-effect transistors fabricated on the n- and p-regions integrated into a complementary inverter circuit exhibit ultralow peak static power consumption ∼13 pW at V D = 1 V, among the lowest reported for WSe 2 -based logic circuits. We demonstrate self-powered photovoltaic photodetection resulting from the in-built electric field of the p–n junction, with fast, reproducible submillisecond response, symmetric rise and fall times, linear current–power dependence, and minimal charge trapping─key metrics for robust and reliable photodetection. Together, these results establish oxide-defined lateral p–n junctions in WSe 2 as a compelling platform for reliable, ultralow-power electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Fields of Study & Subjects

2D Materials and Applications Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications Nanowire Synthesis and Applications

Publication details

Journal / source
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Volume
18
Issue
25
Pages
36187–36196
Publication date
22 June 2026
Language
EN