2D Material Optical Modification Service

Due to their new features and diverse uses in electrical and optoelectronic devices, two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, black phosphorus, and transition metal disulfides have drawn a lot of scientific attention. Their traditional fabrication methods, on the other hand, are frequently harsh and inefficient.

Alfa Chemistry can supply customers with optical modification services for two-dimensional (2D) materials, which will speed up their adoption in various applications, thanks to its concentration on 2D material modification research. We employ a number of optical modification techniques to enable precise and localized in-situ engineering and patterning of 2D materials in ambient settings.

Advantages of Optical Modification

The lack of large-scale fabrication and the requirement for demanding or tedious micro- and nano-processing technologies are some of the present problems for 2D material creation. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and mechanical exfoliation of bulk crystals are two common production methods. The former involves methods that produce layers with relatively high atomic impurity concentrations, whereas the latter is limited in its ability to produce large-area flakes. Further fabrication stages to integrate 2D materials into integrated devices often require electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching, both of which can damage atomically thin lamellas.

Fig 1. Schematic representation of optical modification methods of 2D materials and their applications. (Akkanen S, et al. 2022)

All-optical processing of 2D materials has been shown to overcome the limitations of traditional synthesis methods. It saves time and money, and it's a viable alternative to CVD and mechanical stripping in the manufacturing process. Selectivity, localisation, orientation, tunability, less hazardous circumstances, and on-demand features such as optical doping, oxidation, optical thinning, and phase change are all advantages of optical modification procedures. For laser direct writing of patterns and structures on the microscale, practically all optical modification and production processes are available.

Our Modification Capabilities

• Laser-based direct fabrication of 2D materials

For improving the direct synthesis of large-area 2D materials, we apply a range of optical modification approaches. Laser-assisted CVD (LCVD), optical synthesis of TMD, laser-assisted liquid phase exfoliation (LPE), laser-induced graphene production, and highly controllable laser ablation and thinning of bulk materials to monolayers are among the approaches we work on. Because all of these systems use a laser as the light source, laser parameters like as power, energy density, wavelength, scan speed, illumination time, and thermal cycle time can simply be adjusted.

• Optical modification of 2D materials after fabrication

Lasers are a powerful tool that we utilize to modify 2D materials after production. These modifications include defect control, doping, surface passivation and modification, phase change and strain. Controlling the laser parameters makes these optical alteration techniques highly tunable.

Reference

1. Akkanen S, et al. (2022). "Optical Modification of 2D Materials: Methods and Applications." Advanced Materials. 2105201.