Interplay between Thickness, Defects, Optical Properties, and Photoconductivity at the Centimeter Scale in Layered GaS

Abstract

From the group-III monochalcogenide (MX, M  =  Ga, In; X  =  S, Se, Te) layered semiconductors, gallium monosulfide, GaS, has emerged as a promising material for electronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis applications. In this work, GaS samples of various thicknesses in the range from 38 to 1665 nm have been obtained by mechanical exfoliation to study the interplay between structural, morphological, optical, and photoresponsivity properties as a function of thickness. This interplay has been established by analyzing the structure through Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, the morphology through scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, the density and optical properties through spectroscopic ellipsometry, and the photoresponsivity through current–voltage measurements under UV light. This work shows that photoresponsivity increases with increases in GaS thickness, resulting in a UV photoresponsivity of 1.5·10−4 AW−1 stable over several on/off cycles.