Synthesis and characterization of large-area and continuous MoS2 atomic layers by RF magnetron sputtering

In this article, we report layer-controlled, continuous and large-area molydenum sulfide (MoS2) growth onto a SiO2/Si substrate by RF sputtering combined with sulfurization. A two-step process was employed to synthesize MoS2 films. In the first step, an atomically thin MoO3 film was deposited by RF magnetron sputtering at 300 °C. Subsequently, the as-sputtered MoO3 film was further subjected to post-annealing and sulfurization processes at 650 °C for 1 hour. It was observed that the number of layers of MoS2 can be controlled by adjusting the sputtering time. The fabricated MoS2 transistors exhibited high mobility values of ∼21 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) (bilayer) and ∼25 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) (trilayer), on/off ratios in the range of ∼10(7) (bilayer) and 10(4)-10(5) (trilayer), respectively. We believe that our proposed paradigm can start a new method for the growth of MoS2 in future electronics and optoelectronics applications.