Ultrafast photoresponse of vertically oriented TMD films probed in a vertical electrode configuration on Si chips

Integrated photodetectors based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) face the challenge of growing their high-quality crystals directly on chips or transferring them to the desired locations of components by applying multi-step processes. Herein, we show that vertically oriented polycrystalline thin films of MoS₂ and WS₂ grown by sulfurization of Mo and W sputtered on highly doped Si are robust solutions to achieve on-chip photodetectors with a sensitivity of up to 1 mA W^-1 and an ultrafast response time in the sub-μs regime by simply probing the device in a vertical arrangement, i.e., parallel to the basal planes of TMDs. These results are two orders of magnitude better than those measured earlier in lateral probing setups having both electrodes on top of vertically aligned polycrystalline TMD films. Accordingly, our study suggests that easy-to-grow vertically oriented polycrystalline thin film structures may be viable components in fast photodetectors as well as in imaging, sensing and telecommunication devices.