  The quantum-spin-Hall (QSH) phase of 2D topological insulators has attracted
increased attention since the onset of 2D materials research. While large bulk
gaps with vanishing edge gaps in atomically thin layers have been reported,
verifications of the QSH phase by resistance measurements are comparatively
few. This is partly due to the poor uniformity of the bulk gap induced by the
substrate over a large sample area and/or defects induced by oxidation. Here,
we report the observation of the QSH phase at room-temperature in the 1T'-phase
of few-layer MoS2 patterned onto the 2H semiconducting phase using low-power
and short-time laser beam irradiation. Two different resistance measurements
reveal hallmark transport conductance values, ~e2/2h and e2/4h, as predicted by
the theory. Magnetic-field dependence, scanning tunneling spectra, and
calculations support the emergence of the room-temperature QSH phase. Although
further experimental verification is still desirable, our results provide
feasible application to room-temperature topological devices.
