Size-dependent piezoelectricity of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) films obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD)

As a member of transition metal dichalcogenides, MoS2 is an ideal low-dimensional piezoelectric material, which makes it attract wide attention for potential usage in next generation piezoelectric devices. In this study, the size-dependent piezoelectricity of MoS2 films with different grain sizes obtained at different temperatures by atomic layer deposition (ALD) was determined, which indicates that the grain size is critical to the piezoelectric constant. When the grain size is less than 120 nm, the piezoelectric constant increases with the increase in the grain size. Moreover, the piezoelectric constant first increases and then decreases with the increase in the film thickness. Therefore, piezoelectric constants of these MoS2 films can be modulated by changing the growth temperature and applying different ALD cycles.