Local Conduction in Mo xW1- xSe2: The Role of Stacking Faults, Defects, and Alloying.

ABSTRACT: Here, we report on the surface conductivity of WSe2 and Mo xW1- xSe2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) crystals investigated with conductive atomic force microscopy. We found that stacking faults, defects, and chemical heterogeneities form distinct two-dimensional and one-dimensional conduction paths on the transition metal dichalcogenide surface. In the case of WSe2, in addition to step edges, we find a significant amount of stacking faults (formed during the cleaving process) that strongly influence the surface conductivity. These regions are attributed to the alternation of the 2H and 3R polytypism. The stacking faults form regular 2D patterns by alternation of the underlying stacking order, with a periodicity that varies significantly between different regions and samples. In the case of Mo xW1- xSe2, its c

SUBMITTER: Bampoulis P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5909175 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature