Lasers advance 2D quantum material manufacturing
Lasers advance 2D quantum material manufacturing lead image
Atomically-thin two-dimensional quantum materials, particularly transition metal dichalcogenides, exhibit special optical and electrical properties that make them promising for optoelectronic and photonic applications. However, producing 2D materials with specific structures and properties via conventional methods is difficult. For a task that demands flexibility and precision, researchers have turned to laser-based methods for potential solutions.
A new review highlights recent advancements in the developing field of laser-based synthesis and processing of 2D quantum materials. Ahmadi et al. highlight pulsed laser deposition as one of the primary laser-based methods for synthesizing 2D materials. They describe the history, strategies, and advantages of this technique, including its ability to grow 2D materials with controlled stoichiometry, layer number, and size.
They also catalog studies that looked at the effects of several parameters on pulsed laser deposition, including the effects of temperature, background gas, laser energy, and cooling rate on the formation of 2D graphene, as well as different methods of synthesizing gallium selenide, molybdenum disulfide, and other transition metal dichalcogenides.
In the processing section of the review, the authors give an overview on potential applications of lasers in doping, conversion, defect engineering, and direct writing of 2D quantum materials on both rigid and flexible substrates.
Author Masoud Mahjouri-Samani said that the main goal of his research team is to further develop laser-based methods to efficiently synthesize quantum materials, precisely tailor their properties, and effectively probe their evolution in real-time.
Source: “Application of lasers in the synthesis and processing of two-dimensional quantum materials,” by Zabihollah Ahmadi, Baha Yakupoglu, Nurul Azam, Salah Elafandi, and Masoud Mahjouri-Samani, Journal of Laser Applications (2019). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.2351/1.5100762 .
