Study of Amorphous MoS 2 Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Abstract

The amorphous structure of MoS₂ lms prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been evaluated with the use of Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The initial study of the room-temperature deposited films indicated a featureless Raman spectrum. On closer examination, however, four weak reproducible bands were observed. There has been some confusion in the literature as to the nature of this spectrum—whether it represents an amorphous MoS₃ structure or a mixture of MoS₂ and sulfur. Our interpretation of the Raman and XPS data indicates that the laser-deposited films represent a mixture of small domains of MoS₂ and amorphous sulfur.