Controlling nucleation of monolayer WSe2 during metal-organic chemical vapor deposition growth

Tungsten diselenide (WSe2) is a semiconducting, two-dimensional (2D) material that has gained interest in the device community recently due to its electronic properties. The synthesis of atomically thin WSe2, however, is still in its infancy. In this work we elucidate the requirements for large selenium/tungsten precursor ratios and explain the effect of nucleation temperature on the synthesis of WSe2 via metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The introduction of a nucleation step prior to growth demonstrates that increasing nucleation temperature leads to a transition from a Volmer Weber to Frank van der Merwe growth mode. Additionally, the nucleation step prior to growth leads to an improvement of WSe2 layer coverage on the substrate. Finally, we note that the development of this two-step technique may allow for improved control and quality of 2D layers grown via CVD and MOCVD processes.