Probing extrinsic 2D magnetism in a few-layer MoS₂ having antidots

Inducing magnetism in non-magnetic two-dimensional (2D) materials provides a unique opportunity to realize magnetism at the 2D limit. Previous studies have shown that defects in some transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) at the single- and few-layer thickness can induce long-range magnetic ordering in the material [1]. In this study, we create triangular defects (or antidots) in atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), one of the most popular semiconducting TMDs. Then, we characterize the defects with atomic force microscopy and fabricate field-effect transistor devices based on MoS₂ with antidots. When fabricating FET devices, we use graphites as contact electrodes to minimize the Schottky barrier [2] and encapsulate the device with multilayer hexagonal boron nitride for better device quality. We then perform magnetoresistance measurements on the MoS₂-FET devices with antidots inside a cryostat to probe the defect-induced 2D magnetism. This study aims to explore 2D magnetism induced by defects in otherwise non-magnetic 2D materials.



References:

1. 1. A. Avsar et al., Nat. Comm. 11, 4806 (2020).
   
   2. Y. Liu et al., Nano Lett. 15, 3030-3034 (2015).