Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides under Electron Irradiation: Defect Production and Doping

Using first-principles atomistic simulations, we study the response of atomically thin layers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)--a new class of two-dimensional inorganic materials with unique electronic properties--to electron irradiation. We calculate displacement threshold energies for atoms in 21 different compounds and estimate the corresponding electron energies required to produce defects. For a representative structure of MoS2, we carry out high-resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments and validate our theoretical predictions via observations of vacancy formation under exposure to an 80 keV electron beam. We further show that TMDs can be doped by filling the vacancies created by…