Lateral graphene p-n junctions formed by the graphene/MoS₂ hybrid interface

Graphene/two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor heterostructures have been demonstrated to possess many advantages for electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, there are few reports about the utilization of a 2D semiconductor monolayer to tune the properties of graphene. Here, we report the fabrication and characterization of graphene p-n junctions based on graphene/MoS₂ hybrid interfaces. Monolayered graphene across the monolayered MoS₂ boundary is divided into n-type regions on the MoS₂ and p-type regions on the SiO₂ substrate. Such van der Waals heterostructure based graphene p-n junctions show good photoelectric properties. The photocurrent modulation of such devices by a single back gate is also demonstrated for the first time, which shows that the graphene on and off MoS₂ regions have different responses to the gate voltage. Our results suggest that the atomic thin hybrid structure can remarkably extend the device applications.