Electronic Properties of Multilayer MoS₂ Field Effect Transistor with Unique Irradiation Resistance

Due to their small size and low power consumption, two-dimensional (2D) MoS₂ devices have emerged as attractive candidates for next-generation nanoelectronics. However, in some particular working environments, such as space applications or advanced nuclear energy systems, device degradation caused by ion irradiation is a huge challenge for practical applications. Herein, the irradiation resistance of single-layer and multilayer MoS₂ field effect transistors (FETs) have been systematically studied by using 2 MeV He ions. Electrical measurements show that multilayer devices can withstand 3 × 10¹² cm⁻² fluence of He ion irradiation, which is at least an order of magnitude higher than that of single-layer devices. Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicate that the defect concentration in multilayer devices is less than that of single-layer devices, even if the irradiation dose is two orders of magnitude higher, since the displacement threshold energy of Mo and S atoms significantly increases with the increasing number of MoS₂ layers. The defect configuration is directly observed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-STEM). Our results demonstrate the extraordinary resistance of multilayer MoS₂ FETs under high irradiation conditions and expand their potential applications.