A charge-density-wave oscillator based on an integrated tantalum disulfide-boron nitride-graphene device operating at room temperature

Lattice Discontinuities of 1T-TaS2 across First Order Charge Density Wave Phase Transitions

Transition metal dichalcogenides are lamellar materials which can exhibit unique and remarkable electronic behavior due to effects of electron-electron and electron-phonon coupling. Among these materials, 1T-tantalum disulfide (1T-TaS2) has spurred considerable interest, due to its multiple first order phase transitions between different charge density wave (CDW) states. In general, the basic effects of charge density wave formation in 1T-TaS2 can be attributed to in plane re-orientation of Ta-atoms during the phase transitions. Only in recent years, an increasing number of studies has also emphasized the role of interlayer interaction and stacking order as a crucial aspect to understand the specific electronic behavior of 1T-TaS2, especially for technological systems with a finite number of layers. Obviously, continuously monitoring the out of plane expansion of the sample can provide direct inside into the rearrangement of the layer structure during the phase transition. In this letter, we therefore investigate the c-axis lattice discontinuities of 1T-TaS2 by atomic force microscopy (AFM) method under ultra-high vacuum conditions. We find that the c-axis lattice experiences a sudden contraction across the nearly-commensurate CDW (NC-CDW) phase to commensurate CDW (C-CDW) phase transition during cooling, while an expansion is found during the transition from the C-CDW phase to a triclinic CDW phase during heating. Thereby our measurements reveal, how higher order C-CDW phase can favor a more dense stacking. Additionally, our measurements also show subtler effects like e.g. two expansion peaks at the start of the transitions, which can provide further insight into the mechanisms at the onset of CDW phase transitions.

Recent progress in the controlled synthesis of 2D metallic transition metal dichalcogenides

Two-dimensional (2D) metallic transition metal dichalcogenides (MTMDCs), the complement of 2D semiconducting TMDCs, have attracted extensive attentions in recent years because of their versatile properties such as superconductivity, charge density wave, and magnetism. To promote the investigations of their fantastic properties and broad applications, the preparation of large-area, high-quality, and thickness-tunable 2D MTMDCs has become a very urgent topic and great efforts have been made. This topical review therefore focuses on the introduction of the recent achievements for the controllable syntheses of 2D MTMDCs (VS₂, VSe₂, TaS₂, TaSe₂, NbS₂, NbSe₂, etc). To begin with, some earlier developed routes such as chemical vapor transport, mechanical/chemical exfoliation, as well as molecular beam epitaxy methods are briefly introduced. Secondly, the scalable chemical vapor deposition methods involved with two sorts of metal-based feedstocks, including transition metal chlorides and transition metal oxidations mixed with alkali halides, are discussed separately. Finally, challenges for the syntheses of high-quality 2D MTMDCs are discussed and the future research directions in the related fields are proposed.

Proton-irradiation-immune electronics implemented with two-dimensional charge-density-wave devices

We demonstrate that charge-density-wave devices with quasi-two-dimensional 1T-TaS2 channels show remarkable immunity to bombardment with 1.8 MeV protons to a fluence of at least 1014 H+cm-2. The current-voltage characteristics of these devices do not change as a result of proton irradiation, in striking contrast to most conventional semiconductor devices or other two-dimensional devices. Only negligible changes are found in the low-frequency noise spectra. The radiation immunity of these "all-metallic" charge-density-wave devices is attributed to the quasi-2D nature of the electron transport in the nanoscale-thickness channel, high concentration of charge carriers in the utilized charge-density-wave phases, and two-dimensional device design. Such devices, capable of operating over a wide temperature range, can constitute a crucial segment of future electronics for space, particle accelerator and other radiation environments.

Stabilizing the commensurate charge-density wave in 1T-tantalum disulfide at higher temperatures via potassium intercalation

The 1T phase of tantalum disulfide (1T-TaS2) possesses a variety of charge-density-wave (CDW) orders, and as a result, it attracts an increasing amount of academic and technological interest. Researchers have devoted tremendous efforts towards understanding the impacts of doping, alloying, intercalation or other triggering agents on its charge density wave orders. In this work, we demonstrate that incorporating potassium chloride (KCl) during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of TaS2 can control the phase (1T, 2H or metal nanowires) via the intercalation of potassium ions (K+) between TaS2 layers. Finally, we demonstrate that K+ not only impacts the structure during synthesis but also strongly impacts the CDW phase transition as a function of temperature, increasing the nearly commensurate (NCCDW) to commensurate (CCDW) transition to just below room temperature.

Charge Density Wave Phase Transitions in Large-Scale Few-Layer 1T-VTe2 Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Charge density wave (CDW) as a novel effect in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has obtained a rapid rise of interest for its physical nature and potential applications in oscillators and memory devices. Here, we report var der Waals epitaxial growth of centimeter-scale 1T-VTe₂ thin films on mica by molecular beam epitaxy. The VTe₂ thin films showed sudden resistance change at temperatures of 240 and 135 K, corresponding to two CDW phase transitions driven by temperature. Moreover, the phase transitions can be driven by an electric field due to local Joule heating, and the corresponding resistance states are nonvolatile and controllable, which could be applied to the memory device where the logic states can be switched by an electric field. The multistage CDW phase transitions in the VTe₂ thin films could be contributed to electron-phonon coupling in the two-dimensional VTe₂, which is supported by twice pronounced Raman blue shifts of the vibration modes associated with in-plane phonons at CDW phase transition temperature. The results open up a new platform for understanding the microscopic physical essence and electrical control of CDW phases of TMDs, expanding the functionalities of these materials for memory applications.

Raman Spectroscopic and Dynamic Electrical Investigation of Multi-State Charge-Wave-Density Phase Transitions in 1 T-TaS2

Two-dimensional layered 1 T-TaS₂ exhibits rich charge-density-wave (CDW) states with distinct electronic structures and physical properties, leading to broad potential applications, such as phase-transition memories, electrical oscillators and photodetectors. Besides the various CDW ground states at different temperatures, multiple intermediate phases in 1 T-TaS₂ have been observed by applying optical and electrical stimulations. Here, we investigated the electric-field-driven multistate CDW phase transition by Raman spectroscopy and voltage oscillations in 1 T-TaS₂. Strong correlation was observed between electrical conductivity and intensity of fold-back acoustic and optical phonon modes in 1 T-TaS₂. This indicates that the multistate transitions arise from serial transitions, from the nearly commensurate (NC) CDW phase to out-of-equilibrium intermediate states, and finally to the incommensurate (IC) CDW phase. The dynamics of phase transition under an electric field was investigated. As the electrical field increased, the dwell time of different CDW states changed. At lower temperatures, the multistate oscillations disappeared because of higher-energy barriers between the intermediate phases and/or lower thermal excitation energies at lower temperatures.

Directional sub-femtosecond charge transfer dynamics and the dimensionality of 1T-TaS2

For the layered transition metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS₂, we establish through a unique experimental approach and density functional theory, how ultrafast charge transfer in 1T-TaS₂ takes on isotropic three-dimensional character or anisotropic two-dimensional character, depending on the commensurability of the charge density wave phases of 1T-TaS₂. The X-ray spectroscopic core-hole-clock method prepares selectively in- and out-of-plane polarized sulfur 3p orbital occupation with respect to the 1T-TaS₂ planes and monitors sub-femtosecond wave packet delocalization. Despite being a prototypical two-dimensional material, isotropic three-dimensional charge transfer is found in the commensurate charge density wave phase (CCDW), indicating strong coupling between layers. In contrast, anisotropic two-dimensional charge transfer occurs for the nearly commensurate phase (NCDW). In direct comparison, theory shows that interlayer interaction in the CCDW phase – not layer stacking variations – causes isotropic three-dimensional charge transfer. This is presumably a general mechanism for phase transitions and tailored properties of dichalcogenides with charge density waves.

Gate-Controlled Metal-Insulator Transition in TiS3 Nanowire Field-Effect Transistors

We explore the electrical characteristics of TiS₃ nanowire field-effect transistor (FETs), over the wide temperature range from 3 to 350 K. These nanomaterials have a quasi-one-dimensional (1D) crystal structure and exhibit a gate-controlled metal-insulator transition (MIT) in their transfer curves. Their room-temperature mobility is ∼20-30 cm²/(V s), 2 orders of magnitude smaller than predicted previously, a result that we explain quantitatively in terms of the influence of polar-optical phonon scattering in these materials. In the insulating state (<∼220 K), the transfer curves exhibit unusual mesoscopic fluctuations and a current suppression near zero bias that is common to charge-density wave (CDW) systems. The fluctuations have a nonmonotonic temperature dependence and wash out at a temperature close to that of the bulk MIT, suggesting they may be a feature of quantum interference in the CDW state. Overall, our results demonstrate that quasi-1D TiS₃ nanostructures represent a viable candidate for FET realization and that their functionality is influenced by complex phenomena.

Phonon origin and lattice evolution in charge density wave states

Metallic transition metal dichalcogenides, such as tantalum diselenide (TaSe2), display quantum correlated phenomena of superconductivity and charge density waves (CDW) at low temperatures. Here, the photophysics of 2H-TaSe2 during CDW transitions is revealed by combining temperature-dependent, low-frequency Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT). The spectra contain amplitude, phase, and zone-folded modes that are assigned to specific phonons and lattice restructuring predicted by DFT calculations with superb agreement. The non-invasive and efficient optical methodology detailed here demonstrates an essential link between atomic-scale and microscopic quantum phenomena.

Light-Tunable 1T-TaS2 Charge-Density-Wave Oscillators

External stimuli-controlled phase transitions are essential for fundamental physics and design of functional devices. Charge density wave (CDW) is a metastable collective electronic phase featured by the periodic lattice distortion. Much attention has been attracted to study the external control of CDW phases. Although much work has been done in the electric-field-induced CDW transition, the study of the role of Joule heating in the phase transition is insufficient. Here, using the Raman spectroscopy, the electric-field-driven phase transition is in situ observed in the ultrathin 1T-TaS₂. By quantitative evaluation of the Joule heating effect in the electric-field-induced CDW transition, it is shown that Joule heating plays a secondary role in the nearly commensurate (NC) to incommensurate (IC) CDW transition, while it dominants the IC-NC CDW transition, providing a better understanding of the electric field-induced phase transition. More importantly, at room temperature, light illumination can modulate the CDW phase and thus tune the frequency of the ultrathin 1T-TaS₂ oscillators. This light tunability of the CDW phase transition is promising for multifunctional device applications.

Chemical Vapor Deposition Grown Wafer-Scale 2D Tantalum Diselenide with Robust Charge-Density-Wave Order

2D metallic transition metal dichalcogenides (MTMDCs) are benchmark systems for uncovering the dimensionality effect on fascinating quantum physics, such as charge-density-wave (CDW) order, unconventional superconductivity, and magnetism, etc. However, the scalable and thickness-tunable syntheses of such envisioned MTMDCs are still challenging. Meanwhile, the origin of CDW order at the 2D limit is controversial. Herein, the direct synthesis of wafer-scale uniform monolayer 2H-TaSe₂ films and thickness-tunable flakes on Au foils by chemical vapor deposition is accomplished. Based on the thickness-tunable 2H-TaSe₂, the robust periodic lattice distortions that relate to CDW orders by low-temperature transmission electron microscopy are directly visualized. Particularly, a phase diagram of the transition temperature from normal metallic to CDW phases with thickness by variable-temperature Raman characterizations is established. Intriguingly, dramatically enhanced transition temperature from bulk value ≈90 to ≈125 K is observed from monolayer 2H-TaSe₂, which can be explained by the enhanced electron-phonon coupling mechanism. More importantly, an ultrahigh specific capacitance is also obtained for the as-grown TaSe₂ on carbon cloth as supercapacitor electrodes. The results hereby open up novel avenues toward the large-scale preparation of high-quality MTMDCs, and shed light on their applications in exploring some fundamental issues.

A New Method of the Pattern Storage and Recognition in Oscillatory Neural Networks Based on Resistive Switches

Development of neuromorphic systems based on new nanoelectronics materials and devices is of immediate interest for solving the problems of cognitive technology and cybernetics. Computational modeling of two- and three-oscillator schemes with thermally coupled VO2-switches is used to demonstrate a novel method of pattern storage and recognition in an impulse oscillator neural network (ONN), based on the high-order synchronization effect. The method allows storage of many patterns, and their number depends on the number of synchronous states Ns. The modeling demonstrates attainment of Ns of several orders both for a three-oscillator scheme Ns ~ 650 and for a two-oscillator scheme Ns ~ 260. A number of regularities are obtained, in particular, an optimal strength of oscillator coupling is revealed when Ns has a maximum. Algorithms of vector storage, network training, and test vector recognition are suggested, where the parameter of synchronization effectiveness is used as a degree of match. It is shown that, to reduce the ambiguity of recognition, the number coordinated in each vector should be at least one unit less than the number of oscillators. The demonstrated results are of a general character, and they may be applied in ONNs with various mechanisms and oscillator coupling topology.

Tellurene: its physical properties, scalable nanomanufacturing, and device applications

Tellurium (Te) has a trigonal crystal lattice with inherent structural anisotropy. Te is multifunctional, e.g., semiconducting, photoconductive, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, etc., for applications in electronics, sensors, optoelectronics, and energy devices. Due to the inherent structural anisotropy, previously reported synthetic methods predominantly yield one-dimensional (1D) Te nanostructures. Much less is known about 2D Te nanostructures, their processing schemes, and their material properties. This review focuses on the synthesis and morphology control of emerging 2D tellurene and summarizes the latest developments in understanding the fundamental properties of monolayer and few-layer tellurene, as well as the recent advances in demonstrating prototypical tellurene devices. Finally, the prospects for future research and application opportunities as well as the accompanying challenges of 2D tellurene are summarized and highlighted.

Low-Frequency Current Fluctuations and Sliding of the Charge Density Waves in Two-Dimensional Materials

We investigated low-frequency noise in two-dimensional (2D) charge density wave (CDW) systems, 1 T-TaS₂ thin films, as they were driven from the nearly commensurate (NC) to incommensurate (IC) CDW phases by voltage and temperature stimuli. This study revealed that noise in 1 T-TaS₂ has two pronounced maxima at the bias voltages, which correspond to the onset of CDW sliding and the NC-to-IC phase transition. We observed unusual Lorentzian features and exceptionally strong noise dependence on electric bias and temperature, leading to the conclusion that electronic noise in 2D CDW systems has a unique physical origin different from known fundamental noise types. We argue that noise spectroscopy can serve as a useful tool for understanding electronic transport phenomena in 2D CDW materials characterized by coexistence of different phases and strong pinning.

Vertical 1T-TaS2 Synthesis on Nanoporous Gold for High-Performance Electrocatalytic Applications

2D metallic TaS₂ is acting as an ideal platform for exploring fundamental physical issues (superconductivity, charge-density wave, etc.) and for engineering novel applications in energy-related fields. The batch synthesis of high-quality TaS₂ nanosheets with a specific phase is crucial for such issues. Herein, the successful synthesis of novel vertically oriented 1T-TaS₂ nanosheets on nanoporous gold substrates is reported, via a facile chemical vapor deposition route. By virtue of the abundant edge sites and excellent electrical transport property, such vertical 1T-TaS₂ is employed as high-efficiency electrocatalysts in the hydrogen evolution reaction, featured with rather low Tafel slopes ≈67-82 mV dec^-1 and an ultrahigh exchange current density ≈67.61 µA cm^-2 . The influence of phase states of 1T- and 2H-TaS₂ on the catalytic activity is also discussed with the combination of density functional theory calculations. This work hereby provides fundamental insights into the controllable syntheses and electrocatalytic applications of vertical 1T-TaS₂ nanosheets achieved through the substrate engineering.

Electrical Stressing Induced Monolayer Vacancy Island Growth on TiSe2

To ensure practical applications of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides, it is essential to characterize their structural stability under external stimuli such as electric fields and currents. Using vacancy monolayer islands on TiSe₂ surfaces as a model system, we have observed nonlinear area evolution and growth from triangular to hexagonal driven by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) subjected electrical stressing. The observed growth dynamics represent a 2D departure from the linear area growth law expected for bulk vacancy clustering. Our simulations of monolayer island evolution using phase-field modeling and first-principles calculations are in good agreement with our experimental observations, and point toward preferential edge atom dissociation under STM scanning driving the observed nonlinear area growth. We further quantified a parabolic growth rate dependence with respect to the tunneling current magnitude. The results could be potentially important for device reliability in systems containing ultrathin transition metal dichalcogenides and related 2D materials subject to electrical stressing.

Large-Area Atomic Layers of the Charge-Density-Wave Conductor TiSe2

Layered transition metal (Ti, Ta, Nb, etc.) dichalcogenides are important prototypes for the study of the collective charge density wave (CDW). Reducing the system dimensionality is expected to lead to novel properties, as exemplified by the discovery of enhanced CDW order in ultrathin TiSe₂ . However, the syntheses of monolayer and large-area 2D CDW conductors can currently only be achieved by molecular beam epitaxy under ultrahigh vacuum. This study reports the growth of monolayer crystals and up to 5 × 10⁵ µm² large films of the typical 2D CDW conductor-TiSe₂ -by ambient-pressure chemical vapor deposition. Atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy indicates the as-grown samples are highly crystalline 1T-phase TiSe₂ . Variable-temperature Raman spectroscopy shows a CDW phase transition temperature of 212.5 K in few layer TiSe₂ , indicative of high crystal quality. This work not only allows the exploration of many-body state of TiSe₂ in 2D limit but also offers the possibility of utilizing large-area TiSe₂ in ultrathin electronic devices.

Two-dimensional metallic tantalum disulfide as a hydrogen evolution catalyst

Two-dimensional metallic transition metal dichalcogenides are emerging as prototypes for uncovering fundamental physical phenomena, such as superconductivity and charge-density waves, as well as for engineering-related applications. However, the batch production of such envisioned transition metal dichalcogenides remains challenging, which has hindered the aforementioned explorations. Herein, we fabricate thickness-tunable tantalum disulfide flakes and centimetre-sized ultrathin films on an electrode material of gold foil via a facile chemical vapour deposition route. Through temperature-dependent Raman characterization, we observe the transition from nearly commensurate to commensurate charge-density wave phases with our ultrathin tantalum disulfide flakes. We have obtained high hydrogen evolution reaction efficiency with the as-grown tantalum disulfide flakes directly synthesized on gold foils comparable to traditional platinum catalysts. This work could promote further efforts for exploring new efficient catalysts in the large materials family of metallic transition metal dichalcogenides, as well as exploiting their applications towards more versatile applications.

Metallic transition metal dichalcogenides are important materials for catalysis, but scalable and controllable preparation methods are scarce. Here, the authors synthesize 2H-TaS₂ as centimetre-scale films of tunable thickness and show they are an efficient catalyst for hydrogen evolution.

Van der Waals Epitaxial Growth of 2D Metallic Vanadium Diselenide Single Crystals and their Extra-High Electrical Conductivity

2D metallic transition-metal dichalcogenides (MTMDs) have recently emerged as a new class of materials for the engineering of novel electronic phases, 2D superconductors, magnets, as well as novel electronic applications. However, the mechanical exfoliation route is predominantly used to obtain such metallic 2D flakes, but the batch production remains challenging. Herein, the van der Waals epitaxial growth of monocrystalline, 1T-phase, few-layer metallic VSe₂ nanosheets on an atomically flat mica substrate via a "one-step" chemical vapor deposition method is reported. The thickness of the VSe₂ nanosheets is precisely tuned from several nanometers to several tenths of nanometers. More significantly, the 2D VSe₂ single crystals are found to present an excellent metallic feature, as evidenced by the extra-high electrical conductivity of up to 10⁶ S m^-1 , 1-4 orders of magnitude higher than that of various conductive 2D materials. The thickness-dependent charge-density-wave phase transitions are also examined through low-temperature transport measurements, which reveal that the synthesized 2D metallic 1T-VSe₂ nanosheets should serve as good research platforms for the detecting novel many-body states. These results open a new path for the synthesis and property investigations of nanoscale-thickness 2D MTMDs crystals.

Stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2 probed with MeV ultrafast electron diffraction

Transitions between different charge density wave (CDW) states in quasi-two-dimensional materials may be accompanied also by changes in the inter-layer stacking of the CDW. Using MeV ultrafast electron diffraction, the out-of-plane stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1T-TaS₂ is investigated for the first time. From the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the commensurate l = 1/6 characteristic stacking order, it is found out that this phase disappears with a 0.3 ps time constant. Simultaneously, in the same experiment, the emergence of the incommensurate phase, with a slightly slower 2.0 ps time constant, is determined from the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the incommensurate l = 1/3 characteristic stacking order. These results might be of relevance in understanding the metallic character of the laser-induced metastable "hidden" state recently discovered in this compound.

Tuning Phase Transitions in 1T-TaS2 via the Substrate

Phase transitions in 2D materials can lead to massive changes in electronic properties that enable novel electronic devices. Tantalum disulfide (TaS₂), specifically the "1T" phase (1T-TaS₂), exhibits a phase transition based on the formation of commensurate charge density waves (CCDW) at 180 K. In this work, we investigate the impact of substrate choice on the phase transitions in ultrathin 1T-TaS₂. Doping and charge transfer from the substrate has little impact on CDW phase transitions. On the contrary, we demonstrated that substrate surface roughness is a primary extrinsic factor in CCDW transition temperature and hysteresis, where higher roughness leads to smaller transition hysteresis. Such roughness can be simulated via surface texturing of SiO₂/Si substrates, which controllably and reproducibly induces periodic strain in the 1T-TaS₂ and thereby enables the potential for engineering CDW phase transitions.

Low-Frequency Electronic Noise in Quasi-1D TaSe3 van der Waals Nanowires

We report results of investigation of the low-frequency electronic excess noise in quasi-1D nanowires of TaSe₃ capped with quasi-2D h-BN layers. Semimetallic TaSe₃ is a quasi-1D van der Waals material with exceptionally high breakdown current density. It was found that TaSe₃ nanowires have lower levels of the normalized noise spectral density, S_I/I², compared to carbon nanotubes and graphene (I is the current). The temperature-dependent measurements revealed that the low-frequency electronic 1/f noise becomes the 1/f² type as temperature increases to ∼400 K, suggesting the onset of electromigration (f is the frequency). Using the Dutta-Horn random fluctuation model of the electronic noise in metals, we determined that the noise activation energy for quasi-1D TaSe₃ nanowires is approximately E_P ≈ 1.0 eV. In the framework of the empirical noise model for metallic interconnects, the extracted activation energy, related to electromigration is E_A = 0.88 eV, consistent with that for Cu and Al interconnects. Our results shed light on the physical mechanism of low-frequency 1/f noise in quasi-1D van der Waals semimetals and suggest that such material systems have potential for ultimately downscaled local interconnect applications.