ULTRA-THIN MoS2 FILMS: SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION

Transition metal di-chalcogenide (TMD) materials with the structure MX₂ (M=Mo, W, Nb, etc. and X=S, Se and Te) exhibit a unique combination of structural anisotropy combined with rich chemistry that confers controllability over physical properties such as bandgap and magnetism. These materials exhibit a band-gap ranging from ~0.5 to ~1.9 eV depending on chemical composition and number of layers, which make them ideal candidates as building blocks for a wide range of applications, such as nanoelectronics, electro-optics, catalysis, renewable energy, etc.

Here we present the growth of ultra-thin MoS2 films made by two different methods: (i) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and (ii) sulfurization of thin metal films. The films are characterized by means of SEM, AFM, TEM and Raman spectroscopy. The differences obtained by the two methods and the implications of such methodologies for future work will be discussed.