Optical readout of charge carriers stored in a 2D memory cell of monolayer WSe2

Abstract

Owing to their superior charge retaining and transport characteristics, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides are investigated for practical applications in various memory-cell structures. Herein, we fabricated a quasi-one-terminal 2D memory cell by partially depositing a WSe₂ monolayer on an Au electrode, which can be manipulated to achieve efficient charge injection upon the application or removal of external bias. Furthermore, the amount of charge carriers stored in the memory cell could be optically probed because of its close correlation with the fluorescence efficiency of WSe₂, allowing us to achieve an electron retention time of ∼300 s at the cryogenic temperature of 4 K. Accordingly, the simplified device structure and the non-contact optical readout of the stored charge carriers present new research opportunities for 2D memory cells in terms of both fundamental mechanism studies and practical development for integrated nanophotonic devices.