{
  "abstract": "2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) offer a promising path forward as standard silicon technology approaches its physical scaling limits. However, integrating TMDCs into semiconductor manufacturing requires precise, back-end-of-line (BEOL)-compatible deposition methods. Area-selective deposition (ASD) enables direct bottom-up patterning, yet achieving surface-selective growth of tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ) under low thermal budgets remains a significant challenge. Here, we demonstrate a thermally driven ASD route for ultra-thin WS 2 films at 400°C, using tungsten(VI) sulfide tetrachloride (WSCl 4 ) and H 2 S as precursors and leveraging the unique reactivity of the halogenated, sulfur-containing metal precursor to drive selective ligand exchange and conversion. This approach uses a sacrificial, ultra-thin ZnS template layer to guide spatial selectivity. The process selectively converts pre-deposited ZnS into high-quality WS 2 at 400°C while completely suppressing growth on adjacent dielectrics. Applied to 200 mm undoped silicate glass (USG) / Si(100) wafers, this precursor combination yields pure, smooth, ultra-thin (< 10 nm) crystalline WS 2 films with predominantly horizontally oriented layers. The surface conversion mechanism shows remarkable chemical contrast, with high selectivity (S > 0.994) over 1200 deposition cycles, with USG as a non-growth area (NGA). Electrical measurements on tungsten-contacted transmission-line structures show functional behavior, yielding a layer resistivity of 2.9 × 10 7 µΩ·cm and a specific contact resistivity of 5.4×10 -3 Ω·cm 2 for ~7.5 nm WS 2 films. By leveraging sacrificial template conversion to enable highly selective, low-temperature thermal ASD of WS 2 , this work provides a scalable, chemistry-driven, direct, bottom-up integration of 2D materials into future advanced semiconductor device architectures.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Fraunhofer IMS",
    "Inorganic Materials Chemistry",
    "Ruhr University Bochum",
    "Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research",
    "Chair of Materials Chemistry",
    "Dresden University of Technology"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nils Boysen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6931-8506"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Akhil Unnikrishnan Nair"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Marco Bürger"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Leon Doman"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Abdallah Alghazali"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Katherine Guzey"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Noah Brechmann"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ivan Kaban"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Thomas Gemming"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Volker Hoffmann"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Harish Parala"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Anjana Devi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9mk9gaqwgh1hs.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15008943/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9mk9gaqwgh1hs",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008943/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2505|2D Materials and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213451965",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-16",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9mk9gaqwgh1hs.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:19Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15008943",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008943/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|2D Materials and Applications",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Area-Selective Deposition of WS2 via Sacrificial ZnS Conversion at Low Temperatures",
  "title_text": "Area-Selective Deposition of WS2 via Sacrificial ZnS Conversion at Low Temperatures",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9mk9gaqwgh1hs",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}