2D Magnetic Semiconductors via Substitutional Doping of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Abstract: Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are two-dimensional (2D) materials with remarkable electrical, optical and chemical properties. One promising strategy to tailor TMD properties of TMDs is to create alloys through dopant-induced modification. Dopants can introduce additional states within the bandgap of TMDs, leading to changes in their optical, electronic, and magnetic properties. This paper overviews chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods to introduce dopants into TMD monolayers. The advantages and limitations and their impacts on the doped TMDs' structural, electrical, optical, and magnetic properties are discussed. The dopants in TMDs modify the density and type of carriers in the material, thereby influencing the optical properties of the materials. The TMDs' magnetic moment and circular dichroism are also strongly affected by doping, which enhances the magnetic signal in the material. Finally, we highlight the different doping-induced magnetic properties of TMDs, including superexchange-induced ferromagnetism and valley Zeeman shift. Overall, this review paper provides a comprehensive summary of magnetic TMDs synthesized via CVD, which can guide future research on doped TMDs for various applications, such as spintronics, optoelectronics, and magnetic memory devices.