Unzipping hBN with ultrashort mid-infrared pulses

Manipulating the nanostructure of materials is critical for numerous applications in electronics, magnetics, and photonics. However, conventional methods such as lithography and laser-writing require cleanroom facilities or leave residue. Here, we describe a new approach to create atomically sharp l...

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Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Chen, Cecilia Y, Ginsberg, Jared S, Moore, Samuel L, Jadidi, M Mehdi, Maiti, Rishi, Li, Baichang, Chae, Sang Hoon, Rajendran, Anjaly, Patwardhan, Gauri N, Watanabe, Kenji, Taniguchi, Takashi, Hone, James, Basov, D N, Gaeta, Alexander L
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 24.05.2022
Subjects
Boron nitride
Cleanrooms
Crack propagation
Crystal defects
Crystal structure
Dislocations
Excitation
Flakes (defects)
Lasers
Phonons
Room temperature
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Summary:Manipulating the nanostructure of materials is critical for numerous applications in electronics, magnetics, and photonics. However, conventional methods such as lithography and laser-writing require cleanroom facilities or leave residue. Here, we describe a new approach to create atomically sharp line defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) at room temperature by direct optical phonon excitation in the mid-infrared (mid-IR). We term this phenomenon "unzipping" to describe the rapid formation and growth of a <30-nm-wide crack from a point within the laser-driven region. The formation of these features is attributed to large atomic displacements and high local bond strain from driving the crystal at a natural resonance. This process is distinguished by (i) occurring only under resonant phonon excitation, (ii) producing highly sub-wavelength features, and (iii) sensitivity to crystal orientation and pump laser polarization. Its cleanliness, directionality, and sharpness enable applications in in-situ flake cleaving and phonon-wave-coupling via free space optical excitation.
ISSN:2331-8422