Focused helium-ion beam irradiation effects on electrical properties of multi-layer WSe2

Atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are currently receiving great attention due to their excellent opto-electronic properties. Tuning optical and electrical properties of mono and few layers TMDs, such as Tungsten diselenide (WSe2), by controlling the defects, is an intriguing opportunity to fabricate the next generation opto-electronic devices. Here, we report the effects of focused helium ion beam irradiation on structural, optical and electrical properties of few layer WSe2, via high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electrical measurements. By controlling the ion irradiation dose, we selectively introduced precise defects in few layer WSe2 thereby locally tuning the electrically resistivity of the material. Hole transport in the few layer WSe2 is severely affected compared to electron transport for the same dose of helium ion beam irradiation studied. Furthermore, by selectively exposing the ion beams, we demonstrate the lateral p-n junction in few layer WSe2 flakes, which constitute an important advance towards two dimensional opto-electronic devices.