Evaluation of strain and charge-transfer doping in wet-polymeric transferred monolayer MoS2: implications for field effect transistors

Abstract

Two-dimensional materials offer exceptional tunability of electronic and optical properties via strain and doping engineering. However, the unintentional introduction of polymeric residues during wet chemical 2D film transfer processes such as wet chemical etching and surface energy assisted methods remains critical, yet unexplored. This study systematically investigates the impact of such residues on the optical and electrical properties of monolayer MoS\textsubscript{2} using Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. We reveal that polymer residues in transferred films from wet chemical etching induce distinct strain and doping behaviors: PMMA-existed regions exhibit biaxial tensile strain and \textit{p}-type doping, while PMMA-free regions show compressive strain. In contrast, the surface energy assisted transfer method introduces compressive strain and \textit{n}-type doping in the transferred film due to residue interactions. Field-effect transistor measurements corroborate these findings, showing polymer residue-influenced modulation of charge transport. Notably, the surface energy assisted technique minimizes transfer-induced defects, highlighting its superiority for fabricating high-performance 2D optoelectronic devices. These results underscore the critical role of transfer methodologies in tailoring optoelectronic properties and provide practical insights for optimizing 2D material integration in advanced technologies.