EAGER: Transfer by Contact using Adhesion Engineering for Integration of Two-Dimensional Materials into Functional Devices

The discovery of graphene has led to the discovery of atomically thin two-dimensional materials with diverse and unique properties. Two-dimensional materials have rapidly grown into one of the leading material platforms for next-generation electronics, optoelectronics and quantum devices. For these materials to be integrated into functional devices, they need to be isolated from their growth substrate and transferred onto a target surface without damage and contamination.

This materials integration is challenging to achieve through the current transfer techniques which generally rely on wet and high temperature processes using additional support layers. This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project looks to overcome these challenges by developing and understanding a dry and low-temperature process that allows direct transfer of two-dimensional materials from a source to target by a single direct contact and delamination step without a need for a support layer.

Such a technique can help reduce damage and contamination during the transfer to achieve otherwise hard to realize structures in a scalable and high-throughput manner. As a result, this transfer platform can help in promoting our nation’s global competitiveness in the rapidly evolving field of two-dimensional materials and their applications. This research program will provide opportunities for training students in this area.

The results of this research will be directly integrated as a laboratory teaching module in a new course being developed.

The aim of this research is to develop a dry, low-temperature, sacrificial layer-free transfer of monolayer two-dimensional materials. In this approach, transfer occurs as the source and target surfaces are brought into contact and delaminated under controlled conditions using an aligned transfer printing platform. Foundational to this is engineering of the target substrate surface with interactions and adhesion mechanisms beyond van der Waals forces that promote a successful transfer.

This EAGER will develop this approach for 2D monolayer transfer with a focus on surface adhesion engineering through tuning the surface chemical terminations and mechanical characteristics, studying the adhesion mechanisms, probing the transfer quality and accordingly optimizing for a damage and contamination-free transfer.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.