Molybdenum(IV) dithiocarboxylates as single-source precursors for AACVD of MoS 2 thin films.

Tetrakis(dithiocarboxylato)molybdenum(IV) complexes of the type Mo(S 2 CR) 4 (R = Me, Et, i Pr, Ph) were synthesized, characterized, and prescreened as precursors for aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) of MoS 2 thin films. The thermal behavior of the complexes as determined by TGA and GC-MS was appropriate for AACVD, although the complexes were not sufficiently volatile for conventional CVD bubbler systems. Thin films of MoS 2 were grown by AACVD at 500 °C from solutions of Mo(S 2 CMe) 4 in toluene. The films were characterized by GIXRD diffraction patterns which correspond to a 2H-MoS 2 structure in the deposited film. Mo-S bonding in 2H-MoS 2 was further confirmed by XPS and EDS. The film morphology, vertically oriented structure, and thickness (2.54 μm) were evaluated by FE-SEM. The Raman E 1 2g and A 1g vibrational modes of crystalline 2H-MoS 2 were observed. These results demonstrate the use of dithiocarboxylato ligands for the chemical vapor deposition of metal sulfides.