Experimentally Mapping the Elemental Doping of MoS₂ Monolayer

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Atomically thin 2D semiconductors are crucial for post-Moore's Law electronics.
• Elemental doping of 2D semiconductors is limited by current methods.
• Device engineering and integration rely heavily on effective doping strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore elemental doping of 2D semiconductors beyond current limitations.
• To develop a versatile doping method for molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) monolayers.
• To investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of doped MoS2.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a liquid phase edge epitaxy method for doping.
• Doped MoS2 monolayers with over 40 elements, including transition metals, lanthanides, and main group elements.
• Performed Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to determine doping configurations.

Main Results:

• Achieved doping of MoS2 monolayers with more than 40 elements.
• Observed rare p-type transport behavior in Ti, Zn, and Au doped MoS2.
• Demonstrated the creation of p-type, n-type, and metallic MoS2 monolayers.
• Reported soft magnetization with semiconducting transport in rare earth doped MoS2 (Ce, Nd, Dy, Ho).
• DFT calculations revealed diverse preferred doping configurations (Mo-substitution, S-substitution, S-site adsorption).

Conclusions:

• The liquid phase edge epitaxy method significantly expands the elemental doping possibilities for 2D semiconductors.
• The diverse doping outcomes pave the way for fabricating all-MoS2 based electronic devices.
• The observed magnetic properties in doped MoS2 open avenues for spintronic applications.