Synthesis of Large-Area InSe Monolayers by Chemical Vapor Deposition

Recently, 2D materials of indium selenide (InSe) layers have attracted much attention from the scientific community due to their high mobility transport and fascinating physical properties. To date, reports on the synthesis of high-quality and scalable InSe atomic films are limited. Here, a synthesis of InSe atomic layers by vapor phase selenization of In₂O₃ in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system, resulting in large-area monolayer flakes or thin films, is reported. The atomic films are continuous and uniform over a large area of 1 × 1 cm², comprising of primarily InSe monolayers. Spectroscopic and microscopic measurements reveal the highly crystalline nature of the synthesized InSe monolayers. The ion-gel-gated field-effect transistors based on CVD InSe monolayers exhibit n-type channel behaviors, where the field effect electron mobility values can be up to ≈30 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ along with an on/off current ratio, of >10⁴ at room temperature. In addition, the graphene can serve as a protection layer to prevent the oxidation between InSe and the ambient environment. Meanwhile, the synthesized InSe films can be transferred to arbitrary substrates, enabling the possibility of reassembly of various 2D materials into vertically stacked heterostructures, prompting research efforts to probe its characteristics and applications.