Temperature dependence of current–voltage characteristics of MoS₂/Si devices prepared by the chemical vapor deposition method

Layers of MoS₂ are directly deposited on the n-type Si (n-Si) substrate by chemical vapor deposition for fabricating a MoS₂/n-Si heterojunction device. The rectification current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of MoS₂/n-Si devices were measured in the temperature range from 80 to 300 K in steps of 20 K. The temperature-dependent forward-bias I–V characteristics can be explained on the basis of the thermionic emission theory by considering the presence of the interfacial inhomogeneous barriers at the MoS₂/n-Si interfaces. The dominance of the induced carrier capture/recombination by states at the MoS₂/n-Si interface that lead to the formation of the inhomogeneous barriers serves to influence the photo-response at room temperature. The fabricated MoS₂/n-Si devices exhibit reversible switching between high and low current densities, when the simulated sunlight is turned on and off. The sensitivity of the I–V characteristics to temperature provides an opportunity to realize stable and reliable rectification behaviors in the MoS₂/n-Si devices. It is found that the electron mobility in the n-Si layer reduces as temperature increases, which leads to the noticeably increased value of the series resistance of MoS₂/n-Si devices.