Title: Robotic four-dimensional pixel assembly of van der Waals solids

Abstract

Van der Waals (vdW) solids can be engineered with atomically precise vertical composition through the assembly of layered two-dimensional materials. However, the artisanal assembly of structures from micromechanically exfoliated flakes is not compatible with scalable and rapid manufacturing. Further engineering of vdW solids requires precisely designed and controlled composition over all three spatial dimensions and interlayer rotation. Here, we report a robotic four-dimensional pixel assembly method for manufacturing vdW solids with unprecedented speed, deliberate design, large area and angle control. We used the robotic assembly of prepatterned 'pixels' made from atomically thin two-dimensional components. Wafer-scale two-dimensional material films were grown, patterned through a clean, contact-free process and assembled using engineered adhesive stamps actuated by a high-vacuum robot. We fabricated vdW solids with up to 80 individual layers, consisting of 100 x 100 μm² areas with predesigned patterned shapes, laterally/vertically programmed composition and controlled interlayer angle. This enabled efficient optical spectroscopic assays of the vdW solids, revealing new excitonic and absorbance layer dependencies in MoS₂. Furthermore, we fabricated twisted $$N$$-layer assemblies, where we observed atomic reconstruction of twisted four-layer WS₂ at high interlayer twist angles of >= 4°. In conclusion, our method enables the rapid manufacturing of atomically resolved quantum materials, which could help realize the full potential of vdW heterostructures as a platform for novel physics and advanced electronic technologies.

Authors:

Mannix, Andrew J.  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Mannix, Andrew J."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-4788-1506"

Ye, Andrew ^[2]; Sung, Suk Hyun  ^[3];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Sung, Suk Hyun"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-7491-1988"

Ray, Ariana ^[4]; Mujid, Fauzia ^[2]; Park, Chibeom ^[2]; Lee, Myungjae ^[2]; Kang, Jong-Hoon ^[2]; Shreiner, Robert ^[2]; High, Alexander A. ^[5]; Muller, David A. ^[6]; Hovden, Robert  ^[3];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Hovden, Robert"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-3403-8803"

Park, Jiwoong  ^[2]

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Park, Jiwoong"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-0511-1442"

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Stanford University, CA (United States); University of Chicago, IL (United States)
2. University of Chicago, IL (United States)
3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
4. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States)
5. University of Chicago, IL (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
6. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Ithaca, NY (United States)

Publication Date:

Mon Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 2022

Research Org.:

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF); US Army Research Office (ARO); The Chicago Community Trust; National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI)

OSTI Identifier:

1995507

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-06CH11357; W911NF-17-S-0002; A2010-03222; NSF ECCS-2025633; DMR-2039380

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Nature Nanotechnology

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 17; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 1748-3387

Publisher:

Nature Publishing Group

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

42 ENGINEERING; Design, synthesis and processing; Synthesis and processing; Two-dimensional materials