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Two-dimensional semiconductors such as MoS₂ are an emerging material family with wide-ranging potential applications in electronics, optoelectronics, and energy harvesting. Large-area growth methods are needed to open the way to applications. Control over lattice orientation during growth remains a challenge. This is needed to minimize or even avoid the formation of grain boundaries, detrimental to electrical, optical, and mechanical properties of MoS₂ and other 2D semiconductors. Here, we report on the growth of high-quality monolayer MoS₂ with control over lattice orientation. We show that the monolayer film is composed of coalescing single islands with limited numbers of lattice orientation due to an epitaxial growth mechanism. Optical absorbance spectra acquired over large areas show significant absorbance in the high-energy part of the spectrum, indicating that MoS₂ could also be interesting for …