Sliding Disassembly of van der Waals Heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel technique for dynamically disassembling and reconfiguring van der Waals heterostructures using microstructured polymer stamps, enabling new ways to study and manipulate 2D electron systems.

Contribution

It presents a new method for sliding disassembly of vdW heterostructures, allowing dynamic reconfiguration and exploration of 2D materials beyond traditional static assembly.

Findings

Demonstrated reconfiguration of heterostructures using polymer stamps

Altered dielectric environment of monolayer graphene

Manipulated strain-sensitive moiré materials

Abstract

Many recent advances in our understanding of two-dimensional (2D) electron systems stem from van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. The assembly process relies on the weak bonding across interfaces between layered vdW compounds, making it possible to construct exceptionally clean heterostructures from chemically and structurally distinct materials - a challenging task for traditional thin-film growth techniques. Here we demonstrate an additional, dynamic degree of freedom afforded by vdW interfaces, wherein we use microstructured polymer stamps to disassemble and reconfigure vdW heterostructures by sliding. We apply this technique to alter the dielectric environment of monolayer graphene, perform scanning tunneling microscopy on semiconducting and air-sensitive monolayers, and manipulate strain-sensitive moir\'e materials. Together these demonstrations suggest a new paradigm for assembling and dynamically modifying van der Waals heterostructures, with the potential to reveal new insights into 2D electron systems.