The discovery of graphene established the possibility of obtaining stable two-dimensional solids, and it was soon realized that layered materials other than graphite can be used as bulk parents for novel two-dimensional materials. Among them, layered transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted considerable attention due to interesting physical properties and potential for electronics applications. While most of the research focused on mechanically exfoliated specimens, many proposed approaches to characterizing these materials, as well as potential applications, require large-area and high-quality samples. These can be achieved by epitaxial growth methods developed in our group.
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