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Van der Waals heterostructures and devices

Nature Reviews Materials volume 1, Article number: 16042 (2016) Cite this article

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Abstract

Two-dimensional layered materials (2DLMs) have been a central focus of materials research since the discovery of graphene just over a decade ago. Each layer in 2DLMs consists of a covalently bonded, dangling-bond-free lattice and is weakly bound to neighbouring layers by van der Waals interactions. This makes it feasible to isolate, mix and match highly disparate atomic layers to create a wide range of van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) without the constraints of lattice matching and processing compatibility. Exploiting the novel properties in these vdWHs with diverse layering of metals, semiconductors or insulators, new designs of electronic devices emerge, including tunnelling transistors, barristors and flexible electronics, as well as optoelectronic devices, including photodetectors, photovoltaics and light-emitting devices with unprecedented characteristics or unique functionalities. We review the recent progress and challenges, and offer our perspective on the exploration of 2DLM-based vdWHs for future application in electronics and optoelectronics.

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Figure 1: Two-dimensional layered materials and van der Waals heterostructures.
Figure 2: Assembly and characterization of 2D−2D vdWHs.
Figure 3: Interlayer coupling in transition metal dichalchogenide vdWHs.
Figure 4: Planar 2D transistor based on van der Waals vertical contacts.
Figure 5: Graphene-based van der Waals vertical transistors.
Figure 6: Non-graphene-based van der Waals diodes and transistors.
Figure 7: Van der Waals heterostructure optoelectronics.

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Acknowledgements

X.D. acknowledges the support by ONR Award N00014-15-1-2368. Y.H. acknowledges the support by National Science Foundation EFRI-1433541.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 90095, California, USA

    Yuan Liu, Nathan O. Weiss, Hung-Chieh Cheng & Yu Huang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, Hunan, P. R. China

    Xidong Duan

  3. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, 90095, California, USA

    Xiangfeng Duan

  4. California Nanosystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, 90095, California, USA

    Yu Huang & Xiangfeng Duan

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  1. Yuan Liu
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Liu, Y., Weiss, N., Duan, X. et al. Van der Waals heterostructures and devices. Nat Rev Mater 1, 16042 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/natrevmats.2016.42

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