Single atom chemical identification of TMD defects in ambient conditions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) for single atom resolution imaging and chemical identification of defects in TMD monolayers under ambient conditions, revealing defect types and electronic structure changes.

Contribution

It introduces ambient-condition C-AFM for atomic-scale defect imaging and chemical identification in TMDs, enabling studies in native environments.

Findings

Identified oxygen chalcogen and transition metal substitutions as common defects.

Resolved subtle electronic structure changes in doped WSe2 at atomic resolution.

Quantified defect prevalence across different TMD materials.

Abstract

The presence of defects in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can lead to dramatic local changes in their properties which are of interest for a range of technologies including quantum security devices, hydrogen production, and energy storage. It is therefore essential to be able to study these materials in their native environments, including ambient conditions. Here we report single atom resolution imaging of atomic defects in MoS2, WSe2 and WS2 monolayers carried out in ambient conditions using conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). By comparing measurements from a range of TMDs we use C-AFM to chemically identify the most likely atomic species for the defects observed and quantify their prevalence on each material, identifying oxygen chalcogen substitutions and transition metal substitutions as the most likely, and most common, defect types. Moreover, we demonstrate that C-AFM operated in ambient environments can resolve subtle changes in electronic structure with atomic resolution, which we apply to WSe2 monolayers doped using a nitrogen plasma, demonstrating the capability of C-AFM to resolve electronic, and chemical-specific, details at the atomic scale.