Controllable growth of MoO3 dielectrics with sub-1 nm equivalent oxide thickness for 2D electronics

The integration of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with high-κ dielectrics is critical for the development of post-silicon electronics. The key challenge lies in developing an ultra-thin high-κ dielectric with damage-free interface and sub-1 nm equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) for further continuation of Moore’s law. Here we report the thickness-controlled free-standing growth of layered MoO3 dielectrics with EOT down to 0.9 nm and high permittivity beyond 40, and their application in 2D electronic devices. The MoS2 transistors with MoO3 as high-κ gate dielectric exhibit a high on/off ratio close to 108, low subthreshold swing of 78 mV/dec and low leakage current below 10−4 A/cm2. By further vertically stacking n-MoS2 with p-WSe2 transistors, the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) inverters are achieved, demonstrating its application potential in high-density digital logical circuits. This work develops the controllable growth of high-κ MoO3 dielectrics with ultra-thin EOT, advancing the development of high-performance, size-shrinking and low-power 2D electronics.