In-Plane Transition-Metal\nDichalcogenide Junction\nwith Nearly Zero Interfacial Band Offset

Two-dimensional in-plane transition-metal dichalcogenide\n(TMD)\njunctions have a range of potential applications in next-generation\nelectronic devices. However, limited by the difficulties in ion implantation\non 2D systems, the fabrication of the in-plane TMD junctions still\nrelies on the lateral epitaxy of different materials, which always\ninduces lattice mismatch and interfacial scattering. Here, we report\nthe in-plane TMD junction formed with monolayer (ML) PtTe<sub>2</sub> at the boundary of ML and bilayer graphene on SiC. As the scanning\ntunneling microscopy/spectroscopy results revealed, the substrate\nscreen effect is weak on ML PtTe<sub>2</sub>, compared to the nonlayered\nmaterials. At the interface of the junction, the atomic lattice is\ncontinuous, and a smooth type-II band alignment is formed with a near-zero\nband offset. The reported technique can be readily extended to other\n2D semiconductors with strong interlayer coupling and is feasible\nfor fabricating TMD junctions with promising interfacial electronic\nstructures, aimed at device applications based on low-dimensional\nelectronic behaviors.