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2D materials

Reveal the local optical properties of 2D materials

Cathodoluminescence imaging is a powerful technique for analyzing the local optical properties of 2D materials with high spatial resolution.  CL can be used for analysis of hBN layers, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as WSe2 as well as multilayered devices.

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What we can help you to achieve
  • Image local optical properties of 2D materials 
  • Measure defect luminescence from wide-bandgap 2D materials such as hBN
  • Map exciton polaritons through coherent CL excitation
2D Materials - Media with Description

Flatland optoelectronics with 2D materials

2D materials are materials that are extremely thin down to a single atomic layer. Such materials have gained a lot of interest in recent years due to their exotic electrical, mechanical, and optical properties, and their potential for creating extremely thin (flatland) optoelectronic devices.  

Most of these 2D materials already have unique properties themselves, but by combining several layers into a multilayer device (van der Waals heterostructure) even more possibilities emerge.

What can you achieve with cathodoluminescence?

Cathodoluminescence can be used to measure the local optical properties of 2D materials by measuring the local light emission when the material is stimulated by the electron beam. Due to the high energy of the electron beam even wide-bandgap materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (~5.9 eV) bandgap can be excited efficiently. This allows studying 2D materials in many forms including multilayers and composite structures. For studying luminescence in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) like WSe2 and WS2 it is particularly useful if the layers are protected in a multilayer geometry, e.g. encapsulated in hBN. This enhances emission efficiency, protects the layer from damage, and increases the interaction with the electron beam. Thicker TMDC layers can also support exciton polaritons which can be studied with coherent CL imaging in bare layers.

2D Materials - Media Resize 2 2D Materials - Media Resize 1
2D CL map at λ = 600 nm derived from a hyperspectral image acquired with a SPARC Spectral system showing interference of exciton polariton radiation and transition radiation. The CL image is overlaid with the corresponding SEM image of the 95 nm thick WSe2 flake. Image courtesy of M. Taleb and N. Talebi (Kiel university). M. Taleb et al. Adv. Photonics Res. 2100124 (2021)

Use the right products to get the right results

Delmic CL solutions offer a range of powerful and user-friendly cathodoluminescence detectors, which can help you learn more about 2D materials. Choose the product fitting your research!

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