A New 2H-2H′/1T Cophase in Polycrystalline MoS2 and MoSe2 Thin Films

We report on 2H-2H′/1T phase conversion of MoS2 and MoSe2 polycrystalline films grown by thermally assisted conversion. The structural conversion of the transition metal dichalcogenides was successfully carried out by organolithium treatment on chip. As a result we obtained a new 2H-2H′/1T cophase system of the TMDs thin films which was verified by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The conversion was successfully carried out on selected areas yielding a lateral heterostructure between the pristine 2H phase and the 2H′/1T cophase regions. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed changes in the surface morphology and work function of the cophase system in comparison to the pristine films, with a surprisingly sharp lateral interface region.