Ultrathin molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) film obtained in atomic layer deposition: A mini-review

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a flexible surface-controlled fabrication technique has attracted widespread interest in numerous nanotechnology applications, which can obtain ultrathin or two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (2D MoS 2 ) films. The ALD technique possesses the characteristics of precise thickness control, excellent uniformity and conformality, relying on the self-limiting surface reaction. In this mini-review, the knowledge about the fabrication mechanisms and applications of ALD preparation MoS 2 films are reviewed. The surface reaction pathway about ALD synthesis MoS 2 is elaborated, and the corresponding factors causing saturation adsorption are discussed Two possible growth mechanisms of ALD preparation MoS 2 film based on the building blocks and MoS 2 islands are compared. For both, the deposition process of MoS 2 can be divided into two stages, heterogeneous deposition stage and homogeneous deposition stage. The mismatch between the as-deposited MoS 2 in the heterodeposition and the lattice structure of the substrate surface is a key factor leading to the poor crystallinity of as-deposited MoS 2 . In addition, the extensions of ALD MoS 2 technique to improve the as-deposited film quality are discussed. Finally, the applications of ALD deposited MoS 2 film are summarized, and future perspectives are outlined.