Electron irradiation of metal contacts in monolayer MoS₂ field-effect transistors

Metal contacts play a fundamental role in nanoscale devices. In this work, Schottky metal contacts in monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) field-effect transistors are investigated under electron beam irradiation. It is shown that the exposure of Ti/Au source/drain electrodes to an electron beam reduces the contact resistance and improves the transistor performance. The electron beam conditioning of contacts is permanent, while the irradiation of the channel can produce transient effects. It is demonstrated that irradiation lowers the Schottky barrier at the contacts because of thermally induced atom diffusion and interfacial reactions. The simulation of electron paths in the device reveals that most of the beam energy is absorbed in the metal contacts. The study demonstrates that electron beam irradiation can be effectively used for contact improvement through local annealing.