Atomic layer bonding contacts in two-dimensional semiconductors

Van der Waals contact between two-dimensional semiconductors and metals has always been inferior to covalent bond contacts used in semiconductor industry because of weak band coupling and low bond strength. Here, we report an atomic layer bonding (ALB) contact with strong band coupling and high interfacial cohesion by establishing a metallic coherent bonding interface between the transition-metal atomic layer of transition-metal dichalcogenides and metals. This contact exhibits ultralow contact resistance and superb thermomechanical stability, comparable to those of covalent bond contacts and surpassing all reported contact configurations. ALB contact formed in monolayer molybdenum disulfide and gold demonstrates a contact resistance of 70 ohm-micrometers and thermomechanical stability up to 400°C and delivers a maximum on-current of 1.1 milliamperes per micrometer after high-temperature annealing, all of which meet industrial integration.