Publication date: 15th December 2025
Very strong electron donor and acceptor molecules were developed as potent dopants of organic semiconductors. Some of these can also modify the charge density (doping level) of another excitonic materials class, comprising few or monolayer two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, such as transition metal dichalcogenides. However, the electrical and electronic nature of the supporting substrate plays a key role in these doping processes, as exemplified for mono- and bi-layer MoS2 as 2D semiconductor. In some cases, p-doping of the 2D semiconductor is only mimicked, and the organic dopants only reduce the native n-doping of MoS2. More commonly, charge transfer occurs between a conductive substrate and organic dopants, with the 2D semiconductor sandwiched between these two experiencing a strong electrostatic field. With depth-dependent analysis of photoemission data, it is possible to obtain the charge and electrostatic field distribution across such structures on the atomic scale. This type of remote-charge-transfer and its associated electric field may enable realizing excitonic insulator states of 2D semiconductors.
