Selective etching in graphene–MoS2 heterostructures for fabricating graphene-contacted MoS2 transistors

Semiconducting molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has drawn a lot of attention for its exceptional electronic and optoelectronic properties. Despite the potential advantages, the large contact resistance at the metal–MoS2 interfaces has been one of the biggest obstacles for the realization of ideal MoS2 transistors. One solution to improve the metal–MoS2 interfaces is to use the graphene electrodes. Here, we provide a selective etching method for fabricating graphene-contacted MoS2 transistors. It has been proved that the graphene could be totally etched with Ar+ plasma treatment, and the multilayer MoS2 flake can also be reduced layer by layer with Ar+ plasma treatment. By etching graphene selectively in graphene–MoS2 heterostructures, one can obtain graphene-contacted MoS2 transistors successfully. The transistor reported in this paper shows an on–off ratio about 106 and a carrier mobility about 42 cm2 V−1 s−1. This selective etching method would be beneficial for some other graphene-contacted electronic devices.