The Need

2D van der Waals (vdW) materials are atomically thin sheets that can be stacked to form heterostructures with customizable electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. These heterostructures are promising for next‑generation technologies such as quantum devices, optoelectronics, and spintronics, but their adoption is limited by challenges in scalable manufacturing and interface quality. While MBE growth can address many material‑quality issues, it introduces a key manufacturing challenge: reliably removing intact 2D films from the growth substrate for further integration.

The Technology

Researchers at the Ohio State University have developed a process that enables scalable fabrication of MBE grown 2D vdW materials for heterostructures. The process produces wafer scale, crack free and clean transfer that maintain surface quality, crystallinity and sensitive properties such as magnetism. A removable polymer and mechanical supports are used to lift entire, 2D material films off the MBE growth substrate in one piece. The 2D material is then placed onto new substrates using low heat, enabling the integration of MBE-grown 2D materials into heterostructures or other non-2D material platforms such as silicon or semiconductor chips.

Benefits/Advantages

• Preserves epitaxial‑grade properties while enabling heterogeneous integration on arbitrary substrate
• Full film transfer with 90% area yield, enabling wafer scale with predictable, reproducible production.
• Create 2D materials of non-CVD materials like magnets, topological insulators and metastable phases.
• Process requires low heat
• Common polymers and equipment used, making it low cost and easy to adopt
• Enables heterostructures and twistronics as growth is decoupled from integration.

Commercial Applications

• Optoelectronics – LEDs, solar cells, photodetectors
• Electronics – diodes, transistors
• Spintronics – MRAM, GMR/TMR for data storage or automotive sensors
• Quantum electronics – sensors, tunnel junctions