Trapped charge modulation at the MoS₂/SiO₂ interface by a lateral electric field in MoS₂ field-effect transistors

Controlling trapped charges at the interface between a two-dimensional (2D) material and SiO₂ is crucial for the stable electrical characteristics in field-effect transistors (FETs). Typically, gate-source bias has been used to modulate the charge trapping process with a narrow dielectric layer with a high gate electric field. Here, we observed that charge trapping can also be affected by the lateral drain-source voltage (V_DS) in the FET structure, as well as by the gate-source bias. Through multiple V_DS sweeps with increasing measurement ranges of the V_DS, we demonstrated that the charge trapping process could be modulated by the range of the applied lateral electric field. Moreover, we inserted a hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) layer between the MoS₂ and SiO₂ layer to explore the charge trapping behavior when a better interface is formed. This study provides a deeper understanding of controlling the electrical characteristics with interface-trapped carriers and lateral electrical fields in 2D material-based transistors.