Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDC’s) hold a wide variety of applications, among which microelectronic devices. However, various challenges hinder their integration e.g., good dielectric deposition on the 2D TMDC surface. In this work, a sacrificial, Graphene oxide (GrO)-based buffer layer is used to 1) serve as a passivation layer, protecting the underlying 2D TMDC (WS2) and 2) act as a nucleation layer, enabling uniform dielectric (HfO2) growth. A Graphene layer is transferred on monolayer WS2, after which polymeric transfer residues are cleaned via a combination of wet- and dry treatments. Next, the cleaned Graphene is functionalized via a dry UV/O3 oxidative exposure. It is shown that the Graphene UV/O3 oxidation rate is substrate dependent and proceeds slower when Graphene is transferred on WS2 compared to SiO2, due to UV-light induced, ultrafast charge transfer between the Graphene and WS2 monolayer. The carbon-oxygen groups formed on Graphene’s basal plane act as nucleation sites in a subsequent HfO2 atomic layer deposition process, achieving a smoother dielectric layer in comparison to direct deposition on bare WS2. Finally, by means of a GrO FET device, it is shown that the GrO nucleation layer does not compromise the device transport characteristics i.e., will not give rise to significant leakage currents in a 2D heterostack device.
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