Control of the Nucleation Density of Molybdenum Disulfide in Large-Scale Synthesis Using Chemical Vapor Deposition

Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition of MoS2 with a Thiourea Sulfur Source: Single-Source Precursors vs Coreactant Mixtures

Aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition of MoS2 from solutions containing the single-source precursors cis-Mo(CO)4(TMTU)2 and Mo(CO)5(TMTU) in toluene was compared to depositions from the coreactant solution containing Mo(CO)6 and uncoordinated TMTU in toluene. The results were used to assess the significance of ligand precoordination on the properties of the deposited films. Raman spectra and GI-XRD patterns of the films show that the single-source precursors produced more intense and sharper signals for 2H-MoS2 as compared to the coreactant system of Mo(CO)6 and TMTU, which is indicative of improved crystallinity. SEM and XPS were also used to assess morphology and film composition. Thermolysis of cis-Mo(CO)4(TMTU)2 and analysis of the pyrolysis products by GC-MS and 1H NMR suggested a decomposition mechanism of the TMTU ligand where a terminal sulfido is generated on the molybdenum center with loss of a heteroatom stabilized carbene.

Controlled Synthesis and Accurate Doping of Wafer-Scale 2D Semiconducting Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDCs) possess atomically thin thickness, a dangling-bond-free surface, flexible band structure, and silicon-compatible feature, making them one of the most promising channels for constructing state-of-the-art field-effect transistors in the post-Moore's era. However, the existing 2D semiconducting TMDCs fall short of meeting the industry criteria for practical applications in electronics due to their small domain size and the lack of an effective approach to modulate intrinsic physical properties. Therefore, it is crucial to prepare and dope 2D semiconducting TMDCs single crystals with wafer size. In this review, the up-to-date progress regarding the wafer-scale growth of 2D semiconducting TMDC polycrystalline and single-crystal films is systematically summarized. The domain orientation control of 2D TMDCs and the seamless stitching of unidirectionally aligned 2D islands by means of substrate design are proposed. In addition, the accurate and uniform doping of 2D semiconducting TMDCs and the effect on electronic device performances are also discussed. Finally, the dominating challenges pertaining to the enhancement of the electronic device performances of TMDCs are emphasized, and further development directions are put forward. This review provides a systematic and in-depth summary of high-performance device applications of 2D semiconducting TMDCs.

Molybdenum(IV) dithiocarboxylates as single-source precursors for AACVD of MoS2 thin films

Tetrakis(dithiocarboxylato)molybdenum(IV) complexes of the type Mo(S2CR)4 (R = Me, Et, iPr, Ph) were synthesized, characterized, and prescreened as precursors for aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) of MoS2 thin films. The thermal behavior of the complexes as determined by TGA and GC-MS was appropriate for AACVD, although the complexes were not sufficiently volatile for conventional CVD bubbler systems. Thin films of MoS2 were grown by AACVD at 500 °C from solutions of Mo(S2CMe)4 in toluene. The films were characterized by GIXRD diffraction patterns which correspond to a 2H-MoS2 structure in the deposited film. Mo-S bonding in 2H-MoS2 was further confirmed by XPS and EDS. The film morphology, vertically oriented structure, and thickness (2.54 μm) were evaluated by FE-SEM. The Raman E12g and A1g vibrational modes of crystalline 2H-MoS2 were observed. These results demonstrate the use of dithiocarboxylato ligands for the chemical vapor deposition of metal sulfides.

Strategies, Status, and Challenges in Wafer Scale Single Crystalline Two-Dimensional Materials Synthesis

The successful exfoliation of graphene has given a tremendous boost to research on various two-dimensional (2D) materials in the last 15 years. Different from traditional thin films, a 2D material is composed of one to a few atomic layers. While atoms within a layer are chemically bonded, interactions between layers are generally weak van der Waals (vdW) interactions. Due to their particular dimensionality, 2D materials exhibit special electronic, magnetic, mechanical, and thermal properties, not found in their 3D counterparts, and therefore they have great potential in various applications, such as 2D materials-based devices. To fully realize their large-scale practical applications, especially in devices, wafer scale single crystalline (WSSC) 2D materials are indispensable. In this review, we present a detailed overview on strategies toward the synthesis of WSSC 2D materials while highlighting the recent progress on WSSC graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) synthesis. The challenges that need to be addressed in future studies have also been described. In general, there have been two distinct routes to synthesize WSSC 2D materials: (i) allowing only one nucleus on a wafer scale substrate to be formed and developed into a large single crystal and (ii) seamlessly stitching a large number of unidirectionally aligned 2D islands on a wafer scale substrate, which is generally single crystalline. Currently, the synthesis of WSSC graphene has been realized by both routes, and WSSC hBN and MoS₂ have been synthesized by route (ii). On the other hand, the growth of other WSSC 2D materials and WSSC multilayer 2D materials still remains a big challenge. In the last section, we wrap up this review by summarizing the future challenges and opportunities in the synthesis of various WSSC 2D materials.

Probing the Field-Effect Transistor with Monolayer MoS2 Prepared by APCVD

The two-dimensional materials can be used as the channel material of transistor, which can further decrease the size of transistor. In this paper, the molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is grown on the SiO₂/Si substrate by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD), and the MoS₂ is systematically characterized by the high-resolution optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and the field emission scanning electron microscopy, which can confirm that the MoS₂ is a monolayer. Then, the monolayer MoS₂ is selected as the channel material to complete the fabrication process of the back-gate field effect transistor (FET). Finally, the electrical characteristics of the monolayer MoS₂-based FET are tested to obtain the electrical performance. The switching ratio is 10³, the field effect mobility is about 0.86 cm²/Vs, the saturation current is 2.75 × 10^-7 A/μm, and the lowest gate leakage current is 10^-12 A. Besides, the monolayer MoS₂ can form the ohmic contact with the Ti/Au metal electrode. Therefore, the electrical performances of monolayer MoS₂-based FET are relatively poor, which requires the further optimization of the monolayer MoS₂ growth process. Meanwhile, it can provide the guidance for the application of monolayer MoS₂-based FETs in the future low-power optoelectronic integrated circuits.

Probing the Growth Improvement of Large-Size High Quality Monolayer MoS₂ by APCVD

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted attention from researchers in recent years. Monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is the direct band gap two-dimensional crystal with excellent physical and electrical properties. Monolayer MoS₂ can effectively compensate for the lack of band gap of graphene in the field of nano-electronic devices, which is widely used in catalysis, transistors, optoelectronic devices, and integrated circuits. Therefore, it is critical to obtain high-quality, large size monolayer MoS₂. The large-area uniform high-quality monolayer MoS₂ is successfully grown on an SiO₂/Si substrate with oxygen plasma treatment and graphene quantum dot solution by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) in this paper. In addition, the effects of substrate processing conditions, such as oxygen plasma treatment time, power, and dosage of graphene quantum dot solution on growth quality and the area of the monolayer of MoS₂, are studied systematically, which would contribute to the preparation of large-area high-quality monolayer MoS₂. Analysis and characterization of monolayer MoS₂ are carried out by Optical Microscopy, AFM, XPS, Raman, and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy. The results show that monolayer MoS₂ is a large-area, uniform, and triangular with a side length of 200 μm, and it is very effective to treat the SiO₂/Si substrate by oxygen plasma and graphene quantum dot solution, which would help the fabrication of optoelectronic devices.

Research on the Factors Affecting the Growth of Large-Size Monolayer MoS₂ by APCVD

The transition-metal chalcogenides (TMDs) are gaining increased attention from many scientists recently. Monolayer MoS₂ is an emerging layered TMD material with many excellent physical and electrical properties. It can be widely used in catalysis, transistors, optoelectronics and integrated circuits. Here, the large-sized monolayer MoS₂ is grown on the silicon substrate with a 285-nm-thick oxide layer by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) of sulfurized molybdenum trioxide. This method is simple and it does not require vacuum treatment. In addition, the effects of growth conditions, such as sulfur source, molybdenum source, growth temperature, and argon flow rate on the quality and area of MoS₂ are further studied systematically. These analysis results help to master the morphology and optical properties of monolayer MoS₂. The high quality, excellent performance, and large-size monolayer MoS₂ under the optimal growth condition is characterized by optical microscopy, AFM, XPS, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy. The Raman spectrum and PL mapping show that the grown MoS₂ is a uniform triangular monolayer with a side length of 100 μm, which can pave the way for the applications of photodetectors and transistors.