2024 User Research Highlights
Assessment of wafer scale MoS2 atomic layers grown by MOCVD using organo-metal, organo-sulfide and H2S precursors

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Project Summary: MOCVD is of growing interest for the synthesis of wafer-scale TMD monolayer and few-layer films
for device applications. There are several options for the chalcogen precursor in the MOCVD process including organo-chalcogen sources such as diethyl sulfide (C2H5)2S, DES)) or di-tert-butyl sulfide ((C4H9)2S, DTBS) or hydrides such as H2S. This study examined the effect of chalcogen precursor on the epitaxial growth and properties of MoS2 monolayers on sapphire substrates grown in MOCVD systems at the 2DCC-MIP facility at Penn State and AIXTRON SE in Cambridge, UK. The MoS2 samples grown at AIXTRON used DTBS and the growth temperature was limited to 700°C to avoid carbon incorporation at higher temperatures. The MoS2 samples grown at 2DCC-MIP were grown at 1000°C using H2S. The films grown with H2S exhibited higher crystal quality as assessed by Raman spectroscopy and TEM likely due to the higher growth temperature. However, the use of H2S involves additional safety protocols and systems and is a trade-off to consider for implementation.


Publication: Michael Curtis, et al. RSC Advances, 14, 22618 (2024).
Instrument 10.60551/znh3-mj13; Data 10.26207/a88x-pa08


2DCC Role:Michael Curtis was an RSVP scholar at 2DCC during summer 2022. He is now developing processes for TMD synthesis on an AIXTRON system at Boise State.