Assembly of van der Waals structure from CVD-grown 2-dimensional materials using plasma-treated polyvinyl chloride

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) stacking structures have gathered significant attention owing to their unique properties. The practical and large-scale applications of 2D materials in advanced technologies significantly hinge on the efficient transfer of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesized 2D materials. However, this is hindered by issues such as contamination, limited materials compliance, and restricted scalability. To address these issues, we developed an effective transfer method using plasma-treated polyvinyl chloride (P-PVC) films and established a process for assembling vdW stack structures using a sequential pick-up procedure. Owing to the enhanced surface adhesion achieved using the plasma, P-PVC can overcome the strong adhesion between CVD-synthesized 2D materials and substrates. Consequently, P-PVC exhibited exceptional performance during the pick-up process with additional help of water delamination. The proposed method also showcases its advantages in the drop-off process, because the surface of P-PVC can act as a sacrificial layer that detaches from the PVC film along with the vdW structure. The P-PVC-based sequential pick-up approach not only mitigates interfacial contamination by polymer but can also play a vital role in facilitating efficient production and ensuring material compatibility. This technique offers significant potential for the physics and applications of vdW stacking structures.