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Controlling Atomic Layer Deposition of 2D Semiconductor SnS 2 by the Choice of Substrate
Author(s) -
Mattinen Miika,
King Peter J.,
Brüner Philipp,
Leskelä Markku,
Ritala Mikko
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.202001046
Subject(s) - materials science , atomic layer deposition , muscovite , monolayer , epitaxy , nanotechnology , annealing (glass) , mica , deposition (geology) , layer (electronics) , substrate (aquarium) , atomic layer epitaxy , semiconductor , optoelectronics , sapphire , thin film , composite material , optics , quartz , paleontology , laser , oceanography , physics , geology , biology , sediment
Semiconducting 2D materials, such as SnS 2 , hold great promise in a variety of applications including electronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis. However, their use is hindered by the scarcity of deposition methods offering necessary levels of thickness control and large‐area uniformity. Herein, a low‐temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is used to synthesize up to 5 × 5 cm 2 continuous, few‐layer SnS 2 films on a variety of substrates, including SiO 2 /Si, Si‐H, different ALD‐grown films (Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , and Ir), sapphire, and muscovite mica. As a part of comprehensive film characterization, the use of low energy ion scattering (LEIS) is showcased to determine film continuity, coverage of monolayer and multilayer areas, and film thickness. It is found that on sapphire substrate, continuous films are achieved at lower thicknesses compared to the other substrates, down to two monolayers or even less. On muscovite mica, van der Waals epitaxial growth is realized after the post‐deposition annealing, or even in the as‐deposited films when the growth is performed at 175 to 200 °C. This work highlights the importance of the substrate choice for 2D materials and presents a practical low‐temperature method for the deposition of high‐quality SnS 2 films that may be further evaluated for a range of applications.