Spatially deterministic nucleation of 2D semiconductors by etching flux

Abstract Nucleation control is fundamental to semiconductor deposition, governing when, where and how crystalline materials form. Conventional strategies can regulate nucleation density and, through area-selective growth, confine deposition to designated regions 1–13 . However, they generally do not determine where an individual nucleus forms within the growth regions, leaving even single-nucleation events spatially stochastic and limiting deterministic construction of crystalline materials. Here we report etching-flux-mediated single-centred nucleation of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors to deterministically localize a single nucleation event. The etching flux released from the barrier suppresses nuclei near the pattern boundary, leaving a single surviving nucleus at the pattern centre, and systematic experiments elucidate the mechanism and establish nucleation design rules for zero, single and multiple nucleation regimes. Etching-flux-mediated single-centred nucleation enables single-crystal molybdenum disulfide growth at the 10-μm scale, field-effect mobilities of up to 117 cm 2 V −1 s −1 and large-area uniformity with process compatibility. This in-plane chemical-flux strategy realizes spatially programmed growth, demonstrating nucleation–growth decoupling for line-shaped single crystals, multiple transistors integrated within a large common crystal, and aligned 2D lateral heterostructures for self-aligned contacts. These capabilities open a path towards advanced 2D electronic integration and expand semiconductor deposition from controlling where materials grow to controlling where and how crystals can begin to form.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature
Published
2026-10-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11095-1
Primary Topic
2D Materials and Applications
Type
article
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article

Spatially deterministic nucleation of 2D semiconductors by etching flux

Heejun Yang, Gunho Moon, Sera Yang, Byungjo Kim et al.
Nature
2D Materials and Applications
article

Spatially deterministic nucleation of 2D semiconductors by etching flux

Heejun Yang, Gunho Moon, Sera Yang, Byungjo Kim, Woo‐Hee Kim, YongJoo Kim, 박동건, Chang-Soo Lee, Jeongwon Park, Sung‐Yool Choi, Mingu Kang, Gichang Noh, Seung Jae Kwak, Junhyeok Kim, Kibum Kang, Jonghwan Kim, Jeehwan Kim, Hyeongjin Lim, Seongdae Kwon, Sumin Kang, SeongHwan Jo, Young Joon Hong, Dongyoung Kim, Guanning Shao, Saeyoung Oh, Jiyun Kim, Joonghoon Choi, Min-gyu Kim, Youngmin Sunwoo, Jaehyun Lee, Chengyun Hong, Seunghye Shin, Yongjoon Lee, Chaejeong Yun, Junhyuk Tak, Minsu Kim, Minseok Choi, Seohyun Jeong, Changhun Eom, Tae Soo Kim, Jieun Oh, Donghyeop Lee, Chan Lim
article en

Abstract

Abstract Nucleation control is fundamental to semiconductor deposition, governing when, where and how crystalline materials form. Conventional strategies can regulate nucleation density and, through area-selective growth, confine deposition to designated regions 1–13 . However, they generally do not determine where an individual nucleus forms within the growth regions, leaving even single-nucleation events spatially stochastic and limiting deterministic construction of crystalline materials. Here we report etching-flux-mediated single-centred nucleation of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors to deterministically localize a single nucleation event. The etching flux released from the barrier suppresses nuclei near the pattern boundary, leaving a single surviving nucleus at the pattern centre, and systematic experiments elucidate the mechanism and establish nucleation design rules for zero, single and multiple nucleation regimes. Etching-flux-mediated single-centred nucleation enables single-crystal molybdenum disulfide growth at the 10-μm scale, field-effect mobilities of up to 117 cm 2 V −1 s −1 and large-area uniformity with process compatibility. This in-plane chemical-flux strategy realizes spatially programmed growth, demonstrating nucleation–growth decoupling for line-shaped single crystals, multiple transistors integrated within a large common crystal, and aligned 2D lateral heterostructures for self-aligned contacts. These capabilities open a path towards advanced 2D electronic integration and expand semiconductor deposition from controlling where materials grow to controlling where and how crystals can begin to form.

NatureVol. 658(8135)
Pohang University of Science and Technology (KR), Seoul National University (KR), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KR), Korea University (KR), Sejong University (KR), Institute for Basic Science (KR), Hanyang University (KR), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (KR), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), Sungkyunkwan University (KR), Anyang University (KR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 27%
2D Materials and Applications
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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