Crystallite orientation and lateral material distribution in transition metal dichalcogenide thin films studied by laboratory GIWAXS

The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique is widely used to prepare transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) thin films. Parameters such as precursors, type of substrate, temperature profile, gas flow through the CVD chamber and pressure can influence the orientation of TMD crystals in a thin film. In this context, the grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) technique serves as a promising tool for revealing the texture and spatial distribution of TMD crystalline domains in thin films. Here, a laboratory GIWAXS-based method is reported for the measurement of pole figures of textured TMD thin films. Additionally, GIWAXS tomography in grazing-incidence mode enables spatial mapping of the TMD crystalline domains in thin films. This unique combination of GIWAXS tomography and pole figure measurements allows advanced laboratory analysis of thin TMD films that was previously only possible on synchrotron beamlines.