UC San Diego

Metal-semiconductor contacts play a pivotal role in controlling carrier transport in the fabrication of modern electronic devices. The exploration of van der Waals (vdW) metal contacts in semiconductor devices can potentially mitigate Fermi-level pinning at the metal-semiconductor interface, with particular success in two-dimensional layered semiconductors, triggering unprecedented electrical and optical characteristics. In this work, for the first time, we report the direct integration of vdW metal contacts with bulk wide bandgap gallium nitride (GaN) by employing a dry transfer technique. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy explicitly illustrates the existence of a vdW gap between the metal electrode and GaN. Strikingly, compared with devices fabricated with electron beam-evaporated metal contacts, the vdW contact device exhibits a responsivity two orders of magnitude higher with a significantly suppressed dark current in the nanoampere range. Furthermore, by leveraging the high responsivity and persistent photoconductivity obtained from vdW contact devices, we demonstrate imaging, wireless optical communication, and neuromorphic computing functionality. The integration of vdW contacts with bulk semiconductors offers a promising architecture to overcome device fabrication challenges, forming nearly ideal metal-semiconductor contacts for future integrated electronics and optoelectronics.