Strain induced mobility enhancement in monolayer two dimensional molybdenum disulfide

Strain engineering has emerged as a powerful and versatile technique for modulating the transport properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials. In this study, we investigate the effects of the biaxial strain (compressive and tensile) on the carrier mobility of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), with a particular focus on molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). Using a combination of ab initio electronic structure calculations and physics-based transport modeling, we analyze how mechanical strain alters the band and phonon structures, as well as influences key scattering mechanisms, including longitudinal acoustic (LA), longitudinal optical (LO), surface optical (SO) phonons, and charged impurity scattering, all within the framework of static dielectric screening. Our results show that tensile strain significantly enhances carrier mobility by suppressing intervalley scattering rates, while compressive strain has the opposite effect, leading to mobility degradation. In addition, we examine the dependence of mobility on the temperature, carrier concentration, dielectric environment, and impurity density parameters, providing a detailed picture of transport behavior in different operational regimes. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of strain as a tunable design parameter for optimizing charge transport in 2D TMD-based devices and contribute to the broader goal of enabling mechanically controlled electronics in next-generation nanoscale systems.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical & Computer Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Afrid, Sheikh

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rakheja, Shaloo

• 2d Materials
• Tmds
• Mos2
• Strain Engineering
• Carrier Mobility

Statement dc:rights

• © 2025 Sheikh Mohd Ta-Seen Afrid

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130226

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F130226