Tailoring growth kinetics through direct sublimation for scalable two-dimensional semiconductor synthesis

Scalable integration of two-dimensional semiconductors (2DSs) into advanced electronic platforms requires synthesis approaches that unify high uniformity, high throughput, reduced thermal budget, and robust defect control within manufacturable process flows. Current vapor-phase synthesis routes for 2DSs—including chemical vapor deposition, metal–organic chemical vapor deposition, and atomic layer deposition—typically rely on precursor decomposition and surface-mediated reactions, which can introduce competing kinetic pathways, impurity-related defects, and process variability—particularly when extended to high-throughput growth—thereby complicating scalable manufacturing. Here, we establish pressure-modulated direct sublimation as a streamlined synthesis and processing strategy for 2DS, enabling rapid, reduced-temperature growth from a single-phase solid precursor without intermediate gas-phase reactions. Using tungsten diselenide (WSe2) as a representative system, we demonstrate continuous monolayer growth within 10 min at a reduced temperature of 600 °C by systematically modulating growth kinetics over a wide pressure range. Pressure-controlled sublimation dynamics provide deterministic tuning of nucleation density, allowing for on-demand tailoring between highly uniform continuous films and large single-crystal domains. Through combined thermodynamic analysis and density functional theory calculations, we provide physical insight into defect suppression in direct sublimation growth, indicating how simplified chemical pathways and controlled chemical potentials minimize vacancy formation and impurity-induced trap states at this reduced growth temperature. This work positions direct sublimation as a versatile synthesis paradigm for high-quality 2DS, offering a manufacturable pathway toward defect-engineered interfaces and low-thermal-budget integration of 2D materials across emerging electronic and heterogeneous integration platforms.