Controlled deposition of 2D materials and production of heterostructures

Abstract

Two-dimensional nanomaterials are prominent for electronic and photonic applications due to their unique properties, derived from their ultrathin structures, such as extreme flexibility and high transparency. By analyzing them individually, each two-dimensional material has unusual physical characteristics, but when a 2D crystal is combined with another, or with microstructured substrates, there are many new possibilities, properties and phenomena for study and applications. The combination of different 2D crystals in particular can be achieved by stacking layers of the different materials in a predetermined sequence and therefore can be performed by many ways. This stacking results in artificial structures, called van der Waals heterostructures. Today, heterostructures can be fabricated with a striking degree of accuracy, obtained through several positioning methods reported in the literature. This project aims at mastering and improving these methods for the assembly of heterostructures with clean interfaces and high performance. In addition, the methods used for positioning a two-dimensional material over another can be used for the controlled depositions on any surface or device. Thus, in this project they will be used for deposition on photonic microstructures. (AU)