Exploring the Physical Characteristics of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Under Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Radiation

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have gained a lot of attention due to their versatile applications in electronic and sensing devices. Furthermore, TMDCs are the candidates to replace Si in the semiconductor industry. However, little research focuses on TMDCs under extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, which will be the mainstream lithography technique in semiconductor processes. Here, a common representative TMDC materials, MoS 2 films, were subjected to synchrotron-radiation-generated EUV light. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to analyze the elemental concentrations and bonding environment in the materials before and after EUV irradiation. The results showed that chalcogenide vacancies in the 2D TMDCs were the dominant irradiation defects. Defects were present at all the set EUV doses, and the defect content affected the resistance of the material. This study demonstrated the defects in 2D TMDCs caused by EUV irradiation and showed the potential of EUV radiation modulating the defects and the properties of materials.