Laboratory Achieves Breakthrough in Wafer-Scale Stacking Control Technology for 2D Semiconductors

Recently, a research team jointly led by our laboratory, Nanjing University, and Southeast University has successfully realized the controllable preparation of wafer-scale rhombohedral-phase (3R-phase) molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). This breakthrough resolves the long-standing challenge of precise stacking control in 2D materials and establishes a foundation for developing novel semiconductor devices.

The research team innovatively adopted a homoepitaxial strategy: Using monolayer single-crystal MoS₂ film as the substrate, they achieved high-purity 3R-phase multilayer MoS₂ wafers through precisely regulating growth conditions. Artificial intelligence-assisted analysis confirmed a near-100% proportion of the 3R phase. Theoretical calculations revealed that anti-site defects (Moₛ) effectively promote selective nucleation of the 3R phase, overcoming the thermodynamic competition between 2H and 3R phases.

This study provides a new strategy for stacking control of 2D materials and is expected to advance high-performance electronic devices. The related findings were published online in Nature Materials on July 9. Co-first authors of the paper include the laboratory’s single-appointed postdoctoral researcher Liu Lei and Gong Xiaoshu, dual-appointed associate researcher Li Taotao, and doctoral candidate

Wen Hengdi. Principal Research Scientist Wang Xinran is the only corresponding author.