Chemical vapour deposition

Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) is a powerful technology for producing high-quality solid thin films and coatings. Although widely used in modern industries, it is continuously being developed as it is adapted to new materials. Today, CVD synthesis is being pushed to new heights with the precise manufacturing of both inorganic thin films of 2D materials and high-purity polymeric thin films that can be conformally deposited on various substrates. In this Primer, an overview of the CVD technique, including instrument construction, process control, material characterization and reproducibility issues, is provided. By taking graphene, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and polymeric thin films as typical examples, the best practices for experimentation involving substrate pretreatment, high-temperature growth and post-growth processes are presented. Recent advances and scaling-up challenges are also highlighted. By analysing current limitations and optimizations, we also provide insight into possible future directions for the method, including reactor design for high-throughput and low-temperature growth of thin films. This Primer on chemical vapour deposition summarizes current and emerging experimental set-ups as well as common characterization approaches used to determine thin film formation and quality as applied to graphene and other novel 2D materials.