Electrical Properties of Thin ZrSe₃ Films for Device Applications

Measurements of key properties of the two-dimensional transition metal trichalcogenide ZrSe₃ are reported. The bulk material was created by chemical vapor deposition and subsequently exfoliated to obtain thin films of varying thicknesses. The samples were then characterized by atomic force microscopy measurements and Raman spectroscopy and contacted by e-beam lithography. Electrical measurements give values for the band gap energy of 0.6 eV increasing for thinner samples. Transistor measurements show ZrSe₃ to be an n-type semiconductor. By looking at several samples with varying thicknesses, it was possible to determine a mean free path of 103 nm for the bulk material which opens the possibility for new electronic devices.