Synthesis and Characterization of Tellurium Doped Tin Sulfide (SnSTe)

The presence of a spontaneous electric dipole even in the absence of an applied external electric field defines ferroelectric materials. By symmetric requirements, this is possible only in non-centrosymmetric structures where non-zero net polarization is possible. Bulk 2D Tin sulfide (SnS), an exciting member of the group IV-VI semiconductor materials with ferroelectric properties exhibits centrosymmetry which can be broken by doping. In this work, we successfully synthesized tellurium doped SnS, achieving different doping concentrations via the traditional chemical vapor deposition method. The samples were characterized via Optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. By tuning the growth parameters, we have been able to determine optimal growth parameters for these doped crystals, thus precise control has been achieved. Hence, this work would open fresh opportunities for bulk ferroelectric 2D SnS with future potential use in high quality, scalable, tunable, and high-performance technological applications.