Rapid Wafer-Scale Growth of Polycrystalline 2H-MoS₂ by Pulsed Metal–Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract

High volume manufacturing of devices based on transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) ultra-thin films will require deposition techniques that are capable of reproducible wafer-scale growth with monolayer control. To date, TMD growth efforts have largely relied upon sublimation and transport of solid precursors with minimal control over vapor phase flux and gas-phase chemistry, which are critical for scaling up laboratory processes to manufacturing settings. To address these issues, we report a new pulsed metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) route for MoS₂ film growth in a research-grade single-wafer reactor. Using bis(tert-butylimido)-bis(dimethylamido)molybdenum and diethyl disulfide we deposit MoS₂ films from ≈ 1 nm to ≈ 25 nm in thickness on SiO₂/Si substrates. We show that layered 2H-MoS₂ can be produced at comparatively low reaction temperatures of 591 °C at short deposition times, approximately 90 s for few-layer films. In addition to the growth studies performed on SiO₂/Si, films with wafer-level uniformity are demonstrated on 50 mm quartz wafers. Process chemistry and impurity incorporation from precursors are also discussed. This low-temperature and fast process highlights the opportunities presented by metalorganic reagents in the controlled synthesis of TMDs.