Complex crystallization behavior and oriented layer growth of amorphous MoTe$_2$ nanofilms on transition-metal substrates

Transition metal dichalcogenides have found wide application in various fields of electronics (spintronics, optoelectronics, memory devices), as two-dimensional semiconductors in the form of thin crystalline films. One of the methods for their production is crystallization in the solid state from the amorphous phase onto various substrates. In this work, DSC measurements show that the MoTe$_2$ nanolayer deposited on different substrates (Ta, Al, W, Mo) is in different structural states: amorphous, partially crystalline or completely crystalline. Their glass transition temperatures, crystallization ranges and enthalpies were found to vary depending on the substrate This means that whatever the reason for the observed differences, results obtained on one substrate cannot be transferred when the substrate material is changed.