Defect density quantification in monolayer MoS2 using helium atom micro-diffraction

Abstract: 2D materials continue to be pivotal in the advancement of modern devices. Their optoelectronic, mechanical and thermal properties can be finely modulated using a variety of methods, including strain, passivation, doping and defect density. Vacancy-type defect density, as found in the prototypical MoS2, in 2D materials is inherently difficult to measure due to their thickness. Here we show that helium atom micro-diffraction using a 5 {\mu}m beam size can be used to measure defect density in ~15x20 {\mu}m monolayer MoS2 quickly and easily at low cost compared to standard methods. We find that diffracted helium intensity is inversely proportional to defect density and that the method can be used as a standalone measure of vacancy-type defect density in monolayer MoS2, with the ability to spatially map defect density. We compare our results to photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and stoichiometric beam-line XPS. Furthermore, we provide computational and theoretical evidence that the method is agnostic to sample chemistry and can therefore immediately be applied to the measurement of vacancy-type defect density on the surface of any crystalline material. Our results demonstrate helium atom micro-diffraction as a rapid, low cost and lab-based alternative to often prohibitively expensive and time-consuming beam-line techniques such as XPS, improving accessibility to 2D materials science and device fabrication.