Band alignment and minigaps in monolayer MoS₂-graphene van der Waals heterostructures

Two-dimensional layered MoS₂ shows great potential for nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices due to its high photosensitivity, which is the result of its indirect to direct band gap transition when the bulk dimension is reduced to a single monolayer. Here, we present an exhaustive study of the band alignment and relativistic properties of a van der Waals heterostructure formed between single layers of MoS₂ and graphene. A sharp, high-quality MoS₂-graphene interface was obtained and characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HRXPS), and scanning high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (STEM/HRTEM). Moreover, direct band structure determination of the MoS₂/graphene van der Waals heterostructure monolayer was carried out using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), shedding light on essential features such as doping, Fermi velocity, hybridization, and band-offset of the low energy electronic dynamics found at the interface. We show that, close to the Fermi level, graphene exhibits a robust, almost perfect, gapless, and n-doped Dirac cone and no significant charge transfer doping is detected from MoS₂ to graphene. However, modification of the graphene band structure occurs at rather larger binding energies, as the opening of several miniband-gaps is observed. These miniband-gaps resulting from the overlay of MoS₂ and the graphene layer lattice impose a superperiodic potential.