As the performance of silicon-based chips nears physical limits, scientists worldwide are seeking alternatives, with two-dimensional semiconductors represented by molybdenum disulfide being one of them. On the 30th, the internationally renowned top academic journal Science published online a collaborative paper by the teams of Wang Xinran and Li Taotao from Nanjing University and the team of Wang Jinlan from Southeast University. They have innovatively developed the oxygen-assisted metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technology, breaking the technical bottleneck restricting the large-scale preparation of large-size molybdenum disulfide thin films.

 

Wang Xinran explained that although molybdenum disulfide boasts excellent electrical properties, replacing silicon-based materials is no easy feat. As a latecomer, molybdenum disulfide must adapt to the mature processes of existing semiconductor production lines, namely the MOCVD technology.

 

"During the vapor deposition process, metal-organic precursors decompose when heated, and the reaction products adhere to the substrate surface to form molybdenum disulfide thin films," said Li Taotao. However, traditional MOCVD technology is limited by reaction kinetics, suffering not only from a slow thin film growth rate but also from carbon-containing impurities generated during precursor decomposition, which severely impairs film quality.

 

To address these challenges, after years of research, the team proposed introducing oxygen as an auxiliary agent, which combines with carbon elements in the precursors under high-temperature conditions to reduce carbon contamination. Following this approach, the team trial-produced 6-inch molybdenum disulfide thin films, and experimental results showed that the film growth rate was increased by two to three orders of magnitude compared with traditional methods.

 

Wang Xinran stated that the team has now mastered key industrialization technologies such as two-dimensional semiconductor substrate engineering and kinetic regulation. Since silicon-based semiconductor production lines mainly use 12-inch thin films, the team is stepping up the research and development of new vapor deposition equipment and will attempt the large-scale preparation of 12-inch molybdenum disulfide thin films in the next step.

 

Reviewers of Science commented that this research has overcome the long-standing kinetic limitations and carbon contamination problems of traditional MOCVD technology, and is of great significance for accelerating the translation of two-dimensional semiconductors from the laboratory to production lines.

 

 

The volume, efficiency and reliability of power supply products are constrained by the physical properties of core semiconductor devices. Wide bandgap semiconductors represented by gallium nitride and silicon carbide have driven the first round of transformation, while two-dimensional semiconductors represented by molybdenum disulfide are heralding the material foundation for the next generation of power electronic devices.

 

Thanks to their atomic-level thickness and unique electrical properties, two-dimensional semiconductors are expected to achieve higher switching frequencies, lower power consumption and smaller device volumes, which will directly determine the core competitiveness of high-performance, high-density power supply products in the future. The breakthrough in this preparation technology means that the possibility of translating the excellent performance of laboratory materials into actual wafer manufacturing is growing.

 

 

The rise of two-dimensional semiconductors has brought China a new and potentially more disruptive strategic opportunity in the field of power semiconductors. Unlike the traditional silicon-based technology route, which has strong patent accumulation and ecological barriers, two-dimensional semiconductors are still in the frontiers of industrialization exploration, with countries around the world starting their research and development at a relatively close time.

 

This original breakthrough in the core preparation process demonstrates the potential to build an independent intellectual property system in this cutting-edge field. Grasping the complete innovation chain from material preparation and device design to integrated application is expected to secure a favorable position in the future industrial ecology.

 

 

One of the core values of this research lies in the fact that the adopted oxygen-assisted MOCVD technology is essentially an improvement and upgrade of the mature technology already widely applied in the existing mainstream semiconductor production lines. This choice of technical route has greatly lowered the threshold and cost for the future integration of two-dimensional semiconductors into large-scale production, marking the most substantive step for molybdenum disulfide from an excellent "lab material on paper" to a "wafer material" usable in actual production lines.

 

Cutting-edge technological breakthroughs require industrial-level platforms to gather resources, connect with the market and catalyze cooperation. Scheduled to be held from September 16 to 18, 2026 at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou, the World Power Supply Industry Expo covers an exhibition area of over 50,000 square meters. It will gather more than 500 leading enterprises in the industry worldwide and attract over 50,000 professional buyers and decision-makers from more than 100 countries and regions. Its scale and influence have made it a leading professional event in the Asian power supply industry.

 

The expo not only attracts domestic and international industrial chain head brands such as Huawei Digital Power, Sungrow Power Supply and Delta Electronics, but also invites high-weight purchasing groups from fields such as data centers, new energy vehicles and industrial manufacturing in a targeted manner. Supply chain teams of internet technology enterprises including Huawei, Tencent Cloud and Alibaba, as well as new energy vehicle giants such as BYD and Tesla, have all participated with procurement demands. In addition, relevant industry associations from Germany, Japan, the United States and other countries act as international supporting units, further enhancing the global influence of the expo.

 

The exhibition scope systematically covers the complete industrial chain from the micro to the macro level: from core components such as capacitors, resistors, inductors and power semiconductors (IGBTs, silicon carbide, gallium nitride), to complete equipment such as switching power supplies, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), inverter power supplies and special power supplies, and then to power supply manufacturing and testing equipment, intelligent control systems and energy management software, presenting a panoramic view of the industrial ecology.

 

For Chinese power supply enterprises, the World Power Supply Industry Expo transforms China's manufacturing capacity and system integration capacity into solutions meeting the global green transition demand, and substantially promotes the international upgrading of China's power supply industry from product export to the export of technical standards and brand ecology.