Growth and structure of singly oriented single-layer tungsten disulfide on Au(111)

A singly oriented, single layer of tungsten disulfide (WS2) was epitaxially grown on Au(111) and characterized at the nanoscale by combining photoelectron spectroscopy, photoelectron diffraction, and low-energy electron microscopy. Fast x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the growth of a single crystalline orientation is triggered by choosing a low W evaporation rate and performing the process with a high temperature of the substrate. Information about the single orientation of the layer was obtained by acquiring x-ray photoelectron diffraction patterns, revealing a 1H polytype for the WS2 layer and, moreover, determining the structural parameters and registry with the substrate. The distribution, size, and orientation of the WS2 layer were further ascertained by low-energy electron microscopy.