Single atom chemical identification of TMD defects in ambient conditions

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, WSe₂and WS₂monolayers 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 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 nitrogen-plasma doped WSe₂monolayers, demonstrating the capability of C-AFM to resolve chemical details via electronic structure at the atomic scale.