Atomic Resolution Imaging of CrBr3 Using Adhesion-Enhanced Grids

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 20; no. 9; pp. 6582 - 6589
• Main Authors: Hamer, Matthew J, Hopkinson, David G, Clark, Nick, Zhou, Mingwei, Wang, Wendong, Zou, Yichao, Kelly, Daniel J, Bointon, Thomas H, Haigh, Sarah J, Gorbachev, Roman V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 09-09-2020
• Subjects: Magnetic 2D materials; Graphene encapsulation; TEM; 2D Crystal transfer; Suspended devices
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02346

Suspended specimens of 2D crystals and their heterostructures are required for a range of studies including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), optical transmission experiments, and nanomechanical testing. However, investigating the properties of laterally small 2D crystal specimens, including twisted bilayers and air-sensitive materials, has been held back by the difficulty of fabricating the necessary clean suspended samples. Here we present a scalable solution that allows clean free-standing specimens to be realized with 100% yield by dry-stamping atomically thin 2D stacks onto a specially developed adhesion-enhanced support grid. Using this new capability, we demonstrate atomic resolution imaging of defect structures in atomically thin CrBr3, a novel magnetic material that degrades in ambient conditions.