Plasma-Induced Phase Transformation of SnS₂ to SnS

Layered van der Waals materials have recently attracted attention owing to their exceptional electrical and optical properties in thin layer form. One way to extend their utility is to form a heterostructure which combines various properties of layered materials to reveal intriguing behavior. Conventional heterostructure synthesis methods are difficult to develop and the heterostructure formed can be limited to a small area. Here, we investigate the phase transformation of SnS₂ to SnS by removing sulfur atoms at the top surface using Ar plasma. By varying the plasma power and exposure time, we observed that SnS is subsequently formed on top of the mogul-like structure of SnS₂. Since SnS is a p-type semiconductor and SnS₂ is an n-type semiconductor, we naturally formed a vertical p-n junction. By using graphene at the top and bottom as transparent electrodes, a vertical p-n diode device is constructed. The device demonstrates good rectifying behavior and large photocurrent generation under white light. This method can be applied to large-area heterostructure synthesis using plasma via phase transformation of various metal dichalcogenides to metal monochalcogenides.