No Arabic abstract
We show that pristine MoS$_2$ single layer (SL) exhibits two bandgaps $E_{gparallel}=1.9$ eV and $E_{gperp}=3.2$ eV for the optical in-plane and out-of-plane susceptibilities $chi_parallel$ and $chi_perp$, respectively. In particular, we show that odd states bound to vacancy defects (VDs) lead to resonances in $chi_perp$ inside $E_{gperp}$ in MoS$_2$ SL with VDs. We use density functional theory, the tight-binding model, and the Dirac equation to study MoS$_2$ SL with three types of VDs: (i) Mo-vacancy, (ii) S$_2$-vacancy, and (iii) 3$times$MoS$_2$ quantum antidot. The resulting optical spectra identify and characterize the VDs.
Quantum light sources in solid-state systems are of major interest as a basic ingredient for integrated quantum device technologies. The ability to tailor quantum emission through deterministic defect engineering is of growing importance for realizing scalable quantum architectures. However, a major difficulty is that defects need to be positioned site-selectively within the solid. Here, we overcome this challenge by controllably irradiating single-layer MoS$_{2}$ using a sub-nm focused helium ion beam to deterministically create defects. Subsequent encapsulation of the ion bombarded MoS$_{2}$ flake with high-quality hBN reveals spectrally narrow emission lines that produce photons at optical wavelengths in an energy window of one to two hundred meV below the neutral 2D exciton of MoS$_{2}$. Based on ab-initio calculations we interpret these emission lines as stemming from the recombination of highly localized electron-hole complexes at defect states generated by the helium ion bombardment. Our approach to deterministically write optically active defect states in a single transition metal dichalcogenide layer provides a platform for realizing exotic many-body systems, including coupled single-photon sources and exotic Hubbard systems.
We present an ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of structural defects in molybdenum disulfide thin films grown on silicon substrates by chemical vapor deposition. A distinctive type of grain boundary periodically arranged inside an isolated triangular domain, along with other inter-domain grain boundaries of various types, is observed. These periodic defects, about 50 nm apart and a few nanometers in width, remain hidden in optical or low-resolution microscopy studies. We report a complex growth mechanism that produces 2D nucleation and spiral growth features that can explain the topography in our films.
We study photoluminescence (PL) spectra and exciton dynamics of MoS$_2$ monolayer (ML) grown by the chemical vapor deposition technique. In addition to the usual direct A-exciton line we observe a low-energy line of bound excitons dominating the PL spectra at low temperatures. This line shows unusually strong redshift with increase in the temperature and submicrosecond time dynamics suggesting indirect nature of the corresponding transition. By monitoring temporal dynamics of exciton PL distribution in the ML plane we observe diffusive transport of A-excitons and measure the diffusion coefficient up to $40$~cm$^2$/s at elevated excitation powers. The bound exciton spatial distribution spreads over tens of microns in $sim 1$ $mu$s. However this spread is subdiffusive, characterized by a significant slowing down with time. The experimental findings are interpreted as a result of the interplay between the diffusion and Auger recombination of excitons.
Ideal monolayers of common semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as MoS$_2$, WS$_2$, MoSe$_2$, and WSe$_2$ possess many similar electronic properties. As it is the case for all semiconductors, however, the physical response of these systems is strongly determined by defects in a way specific to each individual compound. Here we investigate the ability of exfoliated monolayers of these TMDCs to support high-quality, well-balanced ambipolar conduction, which has been demonstrated for WS$_2$, MoSe$_2$, and WSe$_2$, but not for MoS$_2$. Using ionic-liquid gated transistors we show that, contrary to WS$_2$, MoSe$_2$, and WSe$_2$, hole transport in exfoliated MoS$_2$ monolayers is systematically anomalous, exhibiting a maximum in conductivity at negative gate voltage (V$_G$) followed by a suppression of up to 100 times upon further increasing V$_G$. To understand the origin of this difference we have performed a series of experiments including the comparison of hole transport in MoS$_2$ monolayers and thicker multilayers, in exfoliated and CVD-grown monolayers, as well as gate-dependent optical measurements (Raman and photoluminescence) and scanning tunneling imaging and spectroscopy. In agreement with existing {it ab-initio} calculations, the results of all these experiments are consistently explained in terms of defects associated to chalcogen vacancies that only in MoS$_2$ monolayers -- but not in thicker MoS$_2$ multilayers nor in monolayers of the other common semiconducting TMDCs -- create in-gap states near the top of the valence band that act as strong hole traps. Our results demonstrate the importance of studying systematically how defects determine the properties of 2D semiconducting materials and of developing methods to control them.
The optical susceptibility is a local, minimally-invasive and spin-selective probe of the ground state of a two-dimensional electron gas. We apply this probe to a gated monolayer of MoS$_2$. We demonstrate that the electrons are spin polarized. Of the four available bands, only two are occupied. These two bands have the same spin but different valley quantum numbers. We argue that strong Coulomb interactions are a key aspect of this spontaneous symmetry breaking. The Bohr radius is so small that even electrons located far apart in phase space interact, facilitating exchange couplings to align the spins.