“…In general, TMDs are composed of transition metal atoms, such as tungsten (W) or molybdenum (Mo), that are sandwiched between two layers of chalcogen atoms, such as sulfur (S), selenium (Se), or tellurium (Te), by strong intralayer covalent bonding. Tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ) has gained significant attention because of the direct band gap of ∼1.65–1.75 eV , and high electron and hole mobilities, − making it promising for complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) applications. − However, the position of the Fermi-level pinning (FLP), arising from the metal-induced gap states (MIGS) and interface traps, has been identified to be close to midgap at the metal–WSe 2 interface. , This FLP issue in metal contacts causes high Schottky barriers (0.5–0.6 eV) for both electron and hole transport in WSe 2 transistors . Among common metals studied in the literature, − palladium (Pd) contact was explored as a proper p-contact on WSe 2 because of its high work function, good oxidative stability, and better adhesion to 2D materials.…”