Quasi-equilibrium growth of inch-scale single-crystal monolayer α-In2Se3 on fluor-phlogopite

• Published in: Nature communications 2024-08, Vol.15 (1), p.7471-10, Article 7471
• Main Authors: Si, Kunpeng, Zhao, Yifan, Zhang, Peng, Wang, Xingguo, He, Qianqian, Wei, Juntian, Li, Bixuan, Wang, Yongxi, Cao, Aiping, Hu, Zhigao, Tang, Peizhe, Ding, Feng, Gong, Yongji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 140/133; 140/146; 142/126; 147/143; 147/3; 639/301/1005/1007; 639/925/357/1018; 639/925/357/551; Binding energy; Cognitive ability; Crystal growth; Crystals; Dimensional stability; Electron mobility; Epitaxial growth; Equilibrium; Ferroelectric materials; Ferroelectricity; Field effect transistors; Humanities and Social Sciences; Monolayers; multidisciplinary; Nanoelectronics; Retention time; Robustness; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Semiconductor devices; Single crystals; Substrates; Synthesis; Thermodynamics; Two dimensional materials
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51322-9

Epitaxial growth of two-dimensional (2D) materials with uniform orientation has been previously realized by introducing a small binding energy difference between the two locally most stable orientations. However, this small energy difference can be easily disturbed by uncontrollable dynamics during the growth process, limiting its practical applications. Herein, we propose a quasi-equilibrium growth (QEG) strategy to synthesize inch-scale monolayer α-In 2 Se 3 single crystals, a semiconductor with ferroelectric properties, on fluor-phlogopite substrates. The QEG facilitates the discrimination of small differences in binding energy between the two locally most stable orientations, realizing robust single-orientation epitaxy within a broad growth window. Thus, single-crystal α-In 2 Se 3 film can be epitaxially grown on fluor-phlogopite, the cleavage surface atomic layer of which has the same 3-fold rotational symmetry with α-In 2 Se 3 . The resulting crystalline quality enables high electron mobility up to 117.2 cm 2 V −1 s −1 in α-In 2 Se 3 ferroelectric field-effect transistors, exhibiting reliable nonvolatile memory performance with long retention time and robust cycling endurance. In brief, the developed QEG method provides a route for preparing larger-area single-crystal 2D materials and a promising opportunity for applications of 2D ferroelectric devices and nanoelectronics. The controlled growth of large-area single-crystalline 2D semiconductors remains a significant challenge for their electronic applications. Here, the authors report a quasi-equilibrium growth method to synthesize inch-scale monolayer α-In 2 Se 3 with high mobility and ferroelectric field-effect transistor performance.