A scalable platform for nanometer-scale quantum confinement

TL;DR

This paper presents a scalable nanofabrication platform capable of creating features as small as 1.75 nm, enabling new regimes of light-matter interaction and quantum confinement in two-dimensional materials.

Contribution

The authors develop a method using atomic layer deposition and oxide nanofins to produce large-area nanolaminates with sub-10 nm periodicities, advancing nanofabrication capabilities.

Findings

Achieved in-plane feature sizes down to 1.75 nm.

Demonstrated quantum-confinement effects in graphene via gate-controlled band-structure modulation.

Enabled exploration of nanoscale light-matter interactions at extreme frequencies.

Abstract

Overcoming the limitations of current nanofabrication techniques to achieve nanoscale feature sizes is essential for achieving new regimes of light-matter interactions at extreme frequencies and length scales. Here, we demonstrate a scalable nanofabrication platform capable of producing in-plane feature sizes down to 1.75 nm, pushing the boundaries of current top-down nanofabrication techniques. Using precise thickness control of atomic layer deposition (ALD) and employing widely spaced oxide nanofins, we transform conventional ALD into a surface structuring method that produces nanolaminates with sub-10 nm periodicities over large areas. The resulting nanostructures can be used as a one-dimensional gate array to control charge carriers in two-dimensional materials. As an initial demonstration, we integrate the platform with graphene and perform electron transport measurements. In the presence of the gate array enabled by the nanolaminate, we observe satellite Dirac peaks consistent with band-structure modulation, suggestive of quantum-confinement effects. Our platform paves the way for exploring previously inaccessible regimes of nanoscale light-matter interactions, holding significant promise for applications in short wavelength optics, electronics, and polaritonics.