The study focuses on the optical and electrical properties of Tungsten Ditelluride (WTe2), a type II Weyl semimetal, as well as the influence of its self-limiting oxide (SLO) layer that forms during natural oxidation. WTe2 exhibits promising applications in photodetection and energy harvesting due to its unique gapless linear dispersion and Berry-field-enhanced nonlinear optical effects. However, surface oxidation poses a challenge as it degrades the performance of WTe2. By employing spectroscopic ellipsometry and Raman spectroscopy, the progression of the oxide layer’s thickness and its impact on the optical constants of WTe2 were examined. The results revealed a rapid increase in oxide thickness within the first 24 h, and it reached saturation at ∼10 nm after 45 h of atmospheric exposure. Electrical properties were explored using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy, uncovering a modification in surface potential and Fermi level following oxidation. Additionally, a SLO/WTe2 heterojunction device exhibited a wide region of positive and negative coexisting photocurrent, highlighting the potential for logical operations in ambient air. Finally, the mechanism of operation of the device is discussed. The electrical and optical properties of the pristine, partially oxidized and fully oxidized WTe2 are analyzed using density functional theory calculations. It shows that the SLO layer has a significant effect on the optical and electronic properties, which is instructive for future wavelength-modulated device optoelectronic logic operations.

Van der Waals heterojunctions (vdWHs) have garnered significant attention for their promising applications in optoelectronics, attributed to their exceptional physical attributes. In this study, we present a straightforward approach to fabricating high-performance vdWHs photodetectors. Specifically, we prepared WSO_x/WS₂ vdWH photodetectors through the ozone oxidation of a WS₂ thin films at 100 °C. To characterize the morphology and optical properties of both the WS₂ and WSO_x/WS₂ thin films, we utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to delve into the structural evolution by scrutinizing the bonding states of W, O, and S in the WS₂ before and after the ozone oxidation process. The resultant WSO_x/WS₂ vdWH photodetectors exhibited impressive photoelectric performance at wavelengths of 475 nm and 532 nm. It demonstrated a high responsivity of 230.7 A/W, a remarkable specific detectivity of 1.794 × 10¹¹ Jones, and a swift response speed of 60 ms at 475 nm. Furthermore, first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) were conducted to validate the oxidation kinetics of monolayer WS₂, the type II energy band alignment, and the interlayer charge transfer within the WSO_x/WS₂ vdWH. This research contributes novel insights into the synthesis of two-dimensional transition metal oxides (TMOs)-transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) heterostructures for photodetector applications.