Phenomenological Growth Regimes in Liquid-Precursor CVD of MoS$_2$ on Functional Substrates

Osamah Kharsah; Kilian Mouchel; Yossarian Liebsch; Cathy Sulaiman; Joel Verlande; Anke Hierzenberger; Abdallah Alghazali; Clara Grygiel; Stéphane Guillous; Henning Lebius; Marika Schleberger

arXiv · 2608.28269

Phenomenological Growth Regimes in Liquid-Precursor CVD of MoS$_2$ on Functional Substrates

Osamah Kharsah·Kilian Mouchel·Yossarian Liebsch·Cathy Sulaiman·Joel Verlande·Anke Hierzenberger·Abdallah Alghazali·Clara Grygiel·Stéphane Guillous·Henning Lebius·Marika Schleberger

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Abstract

The integration of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) onto functional substrates remains constrained by stochastic vapor-phase growth dynamics. Here, we show that liquid-phase precursor chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of MoS$_2$ introduces growth conditions that are consistent with a substrate-influenced reaction-diffusion process. By utilizing pre-growth spin-coated MoO$_3$ intermediates across a diverse crystalline library (sapphire, SrTiO$_3$, rutile TiO$_2$, MgO, and 6H-SiC), we find that substrate-dependent variations in precursor wetting, surface chemistry, and inferred mass-transport constraints correlate with distinct growth morphologies. These substrate-dependent growth regimes are interpreted in terms of reduced effective lateral growth length on SrTiO$_3$, possible precursor anchoring on TiO$_2$, likely chemical surface restructuring on MgO, and possible step-edge growth on SiC. Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy reveal substrate-dependent variations in vibrational and optical response that correlate with differences in strain, charge environment, and dielectric screening. Ultimately, this work highlights a substrate-dependent reaction-diffusion framework as a potentially useful route for tuning the structural and optical properties of large-area 2D materials.

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Osamah Kharsah, Kilian Mouchel, Yossarian Liebsch, Cathy Sulaiman, Joel Verlande, Anke Hierzenberger, Abdallah Alghazali, Clara Grygiel, Stéphane Guillous, Henning Lebius, Marika Schleberger. 2026-08-28. Phenomenological Growth Regimes in Liquid-Precursor CVD of MoS$_2$ on Functional Substrates. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.28269

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