Growth of environmentally stable transition metal selenide films.

Two-dimensional transition metal selenides (TMSs) possess fascinating physical properties. However, many as-prepared TMSs are environmentally unstable and limited in sample size, which greatly hinder their wide applications in high-performance electrical devices. Here we develop a general two-step vapour deposition method and successfully grow different TMS films with controllable thickness, wafer size and high quality. The superconductivity of the grown NbSe2 film is comparable with sheets exfoliated from bulk materials, and can maintain stability after a variety of harsh treatments, which are ascribed to the absence of oxygen during the whole growth process. Such environmental stability can greatly simplify the fabrication procedure for device applications, and should be of both fundamental and technological significance in developing TMS-based devices.