Effects of Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation on Transition\nMetal Dichalcogenides: Investigation of Physical and Electrical Properties

Transition metal\ndichalcogenides (TMDCs) have gained a lot of attention\ndue to their versatile applications in electronic and sensing devices.\nFurthermore, TMDCs are the candidates to replace Si in the semiconductor\nindustry. However, little research has focused on TMDCs under extreme\nultraviolet (EUV) radiation, which will be the mainstream lithography\ntechnique in semiconductor processes. Here, three types of representative\nTMDC materials, MoS<sub>2</sub>, WS<sub>2</sub>, and PtSe<sub>2</sub> films, were subjected to synchrotron-radiation-generated EUV light.\nRaman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission\nelectron microscopy were used to analyze the elemental concentrations\nand bonding environment in the materials before and after EUV irradiation.\nThe results showed that chalcogenide vacancies in the two-dimensional\n(2D) TMDCs were the dominant irradiation defects. Defects were present\nat all the set EUV doses, and the defect content affected the resistance\nof the material. This study demonstrated the defects in 2D TMDCs caused\nby EUV irradiation and showed the potential of EUV radiation modulating\nthe defects and the properties of materials.