Abstract: The instant invention provides a process for making metal or metalloid dichalcogenides from a metal or metalloid and elemental chalcogen using magnetron sputtering. The process may comprise the steps of directing sputtering gas ions at a metal or metalloid target, reacting the ejected metal or metalloid atoms from the target surface with an elemental chalcogen vapor and assembling the metal or metalloid dichalcogenides on a substrate. It can be used to make thin films of the dichalcogenides which have a use in layered semiconductor devices. The process of the invention is suitable for upscaling to potentially make the films on a wafer level. Films on large areas with high uniformity have for instance been obtained utilizing the reaction of the metal or metalloid in an ambient of vaporized chalcogen under controlled conditions and with low growth rates. The process of the invention can be used to deposit two dimensional channels as part of field effect transistors.