Tuning Local Electrical Conductivity via Fine Atomic Scale Structures of Two-Dimensional Interfaces.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have seen a broad range of applications in electronic and optoelectronic applications; however, full realization of this potential hitherto largely hinges on the quality and performance of the electrical contacts formed between 2D materials and their surrounding metals/semiconductors. Despite the progress in revealing the charge injecting mechanisms and enhancing electrical conductance using various interfacial treatments, how the microstructure of contact interfaces affects local electrical conductivity is still very limited. Here, using conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM), for the first time, we directly confirm the conjecture that the electrical conductivity of physisorbed 2D material-metal/semiconductor interfaces is determined by the local electronic charge transfer. Using lattice-resolved conductivity mapping and first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that the electronic charge transfer, thereby electrical conductivity, can be fine-tuned by the topological defects of 2D materials and the atomic stacking with respect to the substrate. Our finding provides a novel route to engineer the electrical contact properties by exploiting fine atomic interactions; in the meantime, it also suggests a convenient and nondestructive means of probing subtle interactions along 2D heterogeneous interfaces.