Tailoring synthesis of 2D semiconductors to control composition, polytype, and ferroelectricity

Rapid advances in nanoscale electronics and photonic devices based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) like MoS2 and WSe2 have increased the demand for high-quality material synthesis. However, optimizing TMDC growth remains a bottleneck in developing devices that rival or surpass silicon CMOS and other platforms. In this talk, I will describe our efforts to develop chemically versatile synthesis methods and high-throughput characterization techniques to rapidly improve 2D semiconductor growth strategies. We developed hybrid metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (HyMOCVD), which enables precise compositional tuning through liquid-phase delivery of the metal precursor. Using HyMOCVD, we achieved WS2 growth with easy modification of composition to test the effects of growth chemistry, introduce dopants, or create alloys for altered electronic properties. Additionally, we demonstrated polytype selective growth of 3R TMDC ferroelectric semiconductors by modifying growth kinetics. Our efforts are supported by advanced scanning probe microscopy and hyperspectral microscopy, providing faster insights into material properties than traditional device fabrication.