Direct probing of phonon mode specific electron–phonon scatterings in two-dimensional semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides

Electron–phonon scatterings in solid-state systems are pivotal processes in determining many key physical quantities such as charge carrier mobilities and thermal conductivities. Here, we report direct probing of phonon mode specific electron–phonon scatterings in layered semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides WSe2, MoSe2, WS2, and MoS2 through inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy measurements, quantum transport simulations, and density functional calculation. We experimentally and theoretically characterize momentum-conserving single- and two-phonon electron–phonon scatterings involving up to as many as eight individual phonon modes in mono- and bilayer films, among which transverse, longitudinal acoustic and optical, and flexural optical phonons play significant roles in quantum charge flows. Moreover, the layer-number sensitive higher-order inelastic electron–phonon scatterings, which are confirmed to be generic in all four semiconducting layers, can be attributed to differing electronic structures, symmetry, and quantum interference effects during the scattering processes in the ultrathin semiconducting films.