Laser-Induced Phase Transition and Patterning of hBN-Encapsulated MoTe.

Transition metal dichalcogenides exhibit phase transitions through atomic migration when triggered by various stimuli, such as strain, doping, and annealing. However, since atomically thin 2D materials are easily damaged and evaporated from these strategies, studies on the crystal structure and composition of transformed 2D phases are limited. Here, the phase and composition change behavior of laser-irradiated molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe ) in various stacked geometry are investigated, and the stable laser-induced phase patterning in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)-encapsulated MoTe is demonstrated. When air-exposed or single-side passivated 2H-MoTe are irradiated by a laser, MoTe is transformed into Te or Mo Te due to the highly accumulated heat and atomic evaporation. Conversely, hBN-encapsulated 2H-MoTe transformed into a 1T' phase without evaporation or structural degradation, enabling stable phase transitions in desired regions. The laser-induced phase transition shows layer number dependence; thinner MoTe has a higher phase transition temperature. From the stable phase patterning method, the low contact resistivity of 1.13 kΩ µm in 2H-MoTe field-effect transistors with 1T' contacts from the seamless heterophase junction geometry is achieved. This study paves an effective way to fabricate monolithic 2D electronic devices with laterally stitched phases and provides insights into phase and compositional changes in 2D materials.