Wafer-Scale epitaxial molybdenum disulfide ultrathin film on sapphire prepared by low-energy reactive magnetron sputtering

Molybdenum disulfide, a two-dimensional semiconductor, has found broad applications in various functional devices. Currently, developing a reliable method for growing wafer-scale monolayer molybdenum disulfide presents a significant challenge in its integration into the contemporary semiconductor industry. This study employed low-energy reactive magnetron sputtering with hydrogen disulfide gas to deposit wafer-scale epitaxial few-layer and monolayer molybdenum disulfide on c-sapphire substrates. The epitaxial molybdenum disulfide nano-thin film was examined using scanning nano-probe X-ray diffraction technique, revealing a single grain size of no less than 50 × 50 μm2. Furthermore, the growth of monolayer molybdenum disulfide on both c-sapphire and thermal silicon oxide substrates was verified through Raman microscope. Measurements of photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy also confirmed the monolayer state of the sputtered nano-thin films. This study suggests that reactive magnetron sputtering with hydrogen disulfide gas offers a cost-effective, scalable method for growing large-area molybdenum disulfide nano-thin films, thereby holding significant potential for practical semiconductor industrial applications.