Synthesis and Characterization of Defects in Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Recent experimental studies of van der Waals heterostructures have shown great potential for novel devices exhibiting exciting electronic, magnetic, and optical properties. For example, the semiconducting compounds in the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) family show promise to replace silicon as the semiconductor in electronic devices. These materials can be reliably synthesized via the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, which allows for defect engineering within a material. Incorporating defects in these materials has shown to introduce new electronic and/or magnetic properties that are not present in their pristine counterparts. One approach for incorporating defects in TMD sheets is via metal substitution (e.g., Nb and V) during the synthesis process. A variety of methods such as Raman spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and various atomic force microscopy (AFM) modes can then confirm the presence of deliberately incorporated defects within a material as well as provide a deep understanding of the influence the defects impart on the material. In this talk, I will show our recent progress in the synthesis and characterization of CVD grown 2D semiconducting TMD devices with defects incorporated via metal substitution.