Wafer-scale controlled growth of MoS2 by magnetron sputtering: from in-plane to inter-connected vertically-aligned flakes

Recently, Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted great attention due to its unique characteristics and potential applications in various fields. The advancements in the field have substantially improved at the laboratory scale however, a synthesis approach that produces large area growth of MoS2 on a wafer scale is the key requirement for the realization of commercial two-dimensional (2D) technology. Herein, we report tunable MoS2 growth with varied morphologies via radio frequency magnetron sputtering by controlling growth parameters. The controlled growth from in-plane to vertically-aligned (VA) MoS2 flakes has been achieved on a variety of substrates (Si, Si/SiO2, sapphire, quartz, and carbon fiber). Moreover, the growth of VA MoS2 is highly reproducible and is fabricated on a wafer scale. The flakes synthesized on the wafer show high uniformity, which is corroborated by the spatial mapping using Raman over the entire 2-inch Si/SiO2 wafer. The detailed morphological, structural, and spectroscopic analysis reveals the transition from in-plane MoS2 to VA MoS2 flakes. This work presents a facile approach to directly synthesize layered materials by sputtering technique on wafer scale. This paves the way for designing mass production of high-quality 2D materials, which will advance their practical applications by integration into device architectures in various fields.

Automated summary

Recently, there has been significant interest in the unique characteristics and potential applications of Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). While progress has been made in the laboratory-scale, the key requirement for commercializing two-dimensional (2D) technology is the synthesis of MoS2 on a large wafer scale. In this study, we demonstrate tunable growth of MoS2 with varied morphologies using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The controlled growth from in-plane to vertically-aligned (VA) MoS2 flakes has been achieved on different substrates and the uniformity of the flakes has been confirmed. This work provides a facile approach for synthesizing layered materials on a wafer scale and paves the way for mass production of high-quality 2D materials.