Electrical control of optical properties of monolayer MoS2

• Published in: Solid state communications Vol. 155; pp. 49 - 52
• Main Authors: Newaz, A.K.M., Prasai, D., Ziegler, J.I., Caudel, D., Robinson, S., Haglund Jr, R.F., Bolotin, K.I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: A. Molybdenum disulfide; B. Nanofabrication; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; D. Electronic transport; Exact sciences and technology; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of specific thin films; Other semiconductors; Physics; B. Nanofabrication; A. Molybdenum disulfide; D. Electronic transport; Ultrathin films; Line intensity; Excitons; Field effect transistors; Molybdenum sulfide; Photoluminescence; Absorption spectra; Bilayers
• ISSN: 0038-1098; 1879-2766
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ssc.2012.11.010

We investigate electrical gating of photoluminescence and optical absorption in monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) configured in field effect transistor geometry. We observe a hundredfold increase in photoluminescence intensity and an increase in absorption at ∼660nm in these devices when an external gate voltage is decreased from +50 to −50V, while the photoluminescence wavelength remains nearly constant. In contrast, in bilayer MoS2 devices we observe almost no changes in photoluminescence with gate voltage. We propose that the differing responses of the monolayer and bilayer devices are related to the interaction of the excitons in MoS2 with charge carriers. ► Electro-optical characterization of MoS2 field-effect transistors. ► Modulation of photoluminescence of a monolayer MoS2 via electrical gating. ► Modulation of absorbance of a monolayer MoS2 via electrical gating.