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Strong optoelectronic response in the binary van der Waals heterostructures of graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) is an emerging route towards high-sensitivity light sensing. While the high sensitivity is an effect of photogating of graphene due to inter-layer transfer of photo-excited carriers, the impact of intrinisic defects, such as traps and mid-gap states in the chalcogen layer remain largely unexplored. Here we employ graphene/hBN (hexagonal boron nitride)/MoS2 (molybdenum disulphide) trilayer heterostructures to explore the photogating mechanism, where the hBN layer acts as interfacial barrier to tune the charge transfer timescale. We find two new features in the photoresponse: First, an unexpected positive component in photoconductance upon illumination at short times that preceeds the conventional negative photoconductance due to charge transfer, and second, a strong negative photoresponse at infrared wavelengths (up to 1720 nm) well-below the band gap of single layer MoS2. Detailed time and gate voltage-dependence of the photoconductance indicates optically-driven charging of trap states as possible origin of these observations. The responsivity of the trilayer structure in the infrared regime was found to be extremely large (> 108 A/W at 1550 nm using 20 mV source drain bias at 180 K temperature and ≈ −30 V back gate voltage). Our experiment demonstrates that interface engineering in the optically sensitive van der Waals heterostructures may cast crucial insight onto both inter- and intra-layer charge reorganization processes in graphene/TMDC heterostructures.

As one of the most important members of the two dimensional chalcogenide family, molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) has played a fundamental role in the advancement of low dimensional electronic, optoelectronic and piezoelectric designs. Here, we demonstrate a new approach to solid state synaptic transistors using two dimensional MoS2 floating gate memories. By using an extended floating gate architecture which allows the device to be operated at near-ideal subthreshold swing of 77 mV/decade over four decades of drain current, we have realised a charge tunneling based synaptic memory with performance comparable to the state of the art in neuromorphic designs. The device successfully demonstrates various features of a biological synapse, including pulsed potentiation and relaxation of channel conductance, as well as spike time dependent plasticity (STDP). Our device returns excellent energy efficiency figures and provides a robust platform based on ultrathin two dimensional nanosheets for future neuromorphic applications.

Bilayer graphene (BLG), endowed with its electrostatically tunable band gap, plays a special role in next generation 2D materials based electronics. However, important aspects of its device characteristics are not fully understood, including in particular, the mechanism of electrical noise in its gapped state, which is essential to its operation. Here, we present the first systematic study of 1/f noise in conductance G in a dual-gated BLG as we tune the Fermi energy inside its large band gap. The normalized conductance noise /G(2) initially increases dramatically by over an order of magnitude, which our analysis indicates, as arising due to percolative charge transport. When the Fermi energy reaches the charge neutrality point, we observe a remarkably constant irrespective of the magnitude of band gap, even though G decreases exponentially with band gap. We discuss that this is likely to be consequence of fluctuations in activated charge carriers far from the Fermi energy, enabled by charge traps of the substrate. Our results provide a coherent description of low frequency electrical noise in gapped BLG, paving the way for its implementation in the next-generation devices as well as representing benchmark for other gapped 2D materials.