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Epitaxial growth of a 100-square-centimetre single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride monolayer on copper

Author

Listed:
  • Li Wang

    (Peking University
    Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Xiaozhi Xu

    (Peking University)

  • Leining Zhang

    (Institute for Basic Science
    Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology)

  • Ruixi Qiao

    (Peking University)

  • Muhong Wu

    (Peking University
    Songshan Lake Laboratory for Materials Science)

  • Zhichang Wang

    (Peking University)

  • Shuai Zhang

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Jing Liang

    (Peking University)

  • Zhihong Zhang

    (Peking University)

  • Zhibin Zhang

    (Peking University)

  • Wang Chen

    (Nanjing University)

  • Xuedong Xie

    (Nanjing University)

  • Junyu Zong

    (Nanjing University)

  • Yuwei Shan

    (Fudan University)

  • Yi Guo

    (Peking University)

  • Marc Willinger

    (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
    Fritz Haber Institute of Max Planck Society)

  • Hui Wu

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Qunyang Li

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Wenlong Wang

    (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Peng Gao

    (Peking University
    Peking University)

  • Shiwei Wu

    (Fudan University)

  • Yi Zhang

    (Nanjing University
    Nanjing University)

  • Ying Jiang

    (Peking University
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Dapeng Yu

    (South University of Science and Technology of China)

  • Enge Wang

    (Songshan Lake Laboratory for Materials Science
    Peking University
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Huairou National Comprehensive Science Center)

  • Xuedong Bai

    (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zhu-Jun Wang

    (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
    Fritz Haber Institute of Max Planck Society)

  • Feng Ding

    (Institute for Basic Science
    Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology)

  • Kaihui Liu

    (Peking University)

Abstract

The development of two-dimensional (2D) materials has opened up possibilities for their application in electronics, optoelectronics and photovoltaics, because they can provide devices with smaller size, higher speed and additional functionalities compared with conventional silicon-based devices1. The ability to grow large, high-quality single crystals for 2D components—that is, conductors, semiconductors and insulators—is essential for the industrial application of 2D devices2–4. Atom-layered hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), with its excellent stability, flat surface and large bandgap, has been reported to be the best 2D insulator5–12. However, the size of 2D hBN single crystals is typically limited to less than one millimetre13–18, mainly because of difficulties in the growth of such crystals; these include excessive nucleation, which precludes growth from a single nucleus to large single crystals, and the threefold symmetry of the hBN lattice, which leads to antiparallel domains and twin boundaries on most substrates19. Here we report the epitaxial growth of a 100-square-centimetre single-crystal hBN monolayer on a low-symmetry Cu (110) vicinal surface, obtained by annealing an industrial copper foil. Structural characterizations and theoretical calculations indicate that epitaxial growth was achieved by the coupling of Cu step edges with hBN zigzag edges, which breaks the equivalence of antiparallel hBN domains, enabling unidirectional domain alignment better than 99 per cent. The growth kinetics, unidirectional alignment and seamless stitching of the hBN domains are unambiguously demonstrated using centimetre- to atomic-scale characterization techniques. Our findings are expected to facilitate the wide application of 2D devices and lead to the epitaxial growth of broad non-centrosymmetric 2D materials, such as various transition-metal dichalcogenides20–23, to produce large single crystals.

Suggested Citation

  • Li Wang & Xiaozhi Xu & Leining Zhang & Ruixi Qiao & Muhong Wu & Zhichang Wang & Shuai Zhang & Jing Liang & Zhihong Zhang & Zhibin Zhang & Wang Chen & Xuedong Xie & Junyu Zong & Yuwei Shan & Yi Guo & M, 2019. "Epitaxial growth of a 100-square-centimetre single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride monolayer on copper," Nature, Nature, vol. 570(7759), pages 91-95, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:570:y:2019:i:7759:d:10.1038_s41586-019-1226-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1226-z
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    Cited by:

    1. Taewoo Ha & Yu-Seong Seo & Teun-Teun Kim & Bipin Lamichhane & Young-Hoon Kim & Su Jae Kim & Yousil Lee & Jong Chan Kim & Sang Eon Park & Kyung Ik Sim & Jae Hoon Kim & Yong In Kim & Seon Je Kim & Hu Yo, 2023. "Coherent consolidation of trillions of nucleations for mono-atom step-level flat surfaces," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Pengfei Yang & Dashuai Wang & Xiaoxu Zhao & Wenzhi Quan & Qi Jiang & Xuan Li & Bin Tang & Jingyi Hu & Lijie Zhu & Shuangyuan Pan & Yuping Shi & Yahuan Huan & Fangfang Cui & Shan Qiao & Qing Chen & Zhe, 2022. "Epitaxial growth of inch-scale single-crystal transition metal dichalcogenides through the patching of unidirectionally orientated ribbons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Luying Song & Ying Zhao & Bingqian Xu & Ruofan Du & Hui Li & Wang Feng & Junbo Yang & Xiaohui Li & Zijia Liu & Xia Wen & Yanan Peng & Yuzhu Wang & Hang Sun & Ling Huang & Yulin Jiang & Yao Cai & Xue J, 2024. "Robust multiferroic in interfacial modulation synthesized wafer-scale one-unit-cell of chromium sulfide," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Junzhu Li & Abdus Samad & Yue Yuan & Qingxiao Wang & Mohamed Nejib Hedhili & Mario Lanza & Udo Schwingenschlögl & Iwnetim Abate & Deji Akinwande & Zheng Liu & Bo Tian & Xixiang Zhang, 2024. "Single-crystal hBN Monolayers from Aligned Hexagonal Islands," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    5. Jingxian Zhong & Dawei Zhou & Qi Bai & Chao Liu & Xinlian Fan & Hehe Zhang & Congzhou Li & Ran Jiang & Peiyi Zhao & Jiaxiao Yuan & Xiaojiao Li & Guixiang Zhan & Hongyu Yang & Jing Liu & Xuefen Song & , 2024. "Growth of millimeter-sized 2D metal iodide crystals induced by ion-specific preference at water-air interfaces," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Zheyi Lu & Yang Chen & Weiqi Dang & Lingan Kong & Quanyang Tao & Likuan Ma & Donglin Lu & Liting Liu & Wanying Li & Zhiwei Li & Xiao Liu & Yiliu Wang & Xidong Duan & Lei Liao & Yuan Liu, 2023. "Wafer-scale high-κ dielectrics for two-dimensional circuits via van der Waals integration," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    7. Lingxin Luo & Lingxiang Hou & Xueping Cui & Pengxin Zhan & Ping He & Chuying Dai & Ruian Li & Jichen Dong & Ye Zou & Guoming Liu & Yanpeng Liu & Jian Zheng, 2024. "Self-condensation-assisted chemical vapour deposition growth of atomically two-dimensional MOF single-crystals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    8. Jun Zhou & Guitao Zhang & Wenhui Wang & Qian Chen & Weiwei Zhao & Hongwei Liu & Bei Zhao & Zhenhua Ni & Junpeng Lu, 2024. "Phase-engineered synthesis of atomically thin te single crystals with high on-state currents," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    9. Su-Beom Song & Sangho Yoon & So Young Kim & Sera Yang & Seung-Young Seo & Soonyoung Cha & Hyeon-Woo Jeong & Kenji Watanabe & Takashi Taniguchi & Gil-Ho Lee & Jun Sung Kim & Moon-Ho Jo & Jonghwan Kim, 2021. "Deep-ultraviolet electroluminescence and photocurrent generation in graphene/hBN/graphene heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    10. Xin Li & Guilin Wu & Leining Zhang & Deping Huang & Yunqing Li & Ruiqi Zhang & Meng Li & Lin Zhu & Jing Guo & Tianlin Huang & Jun Shen & Xingzhan Wei & Ka Man Yu & Jichen Dong & Michael S. Altman & Ro, 2022. "Single-crystal two-dimensional material epitaxy on tailored non-single-crystal substrates," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    11. Fankai Zeng & Ran Wang & Wenya Wei & Zuo Feng & Quanlin Guo & Yunlong Ren & Guoliang Cui & Dingxin Zou & Zhensheng Zhang & Song Liu & Kehai Liu & Ying Fu & Jinzong Kou & Li Wang & Xu Zhou & Zhilie Tan, 2023. "Stamped production of single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride monolayers on various insulating substrates," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    12. Peiming Zheng & Wenya Wei & Zhihua Liang & Biao Qin & Jinpeng Tian & Jinhuan Wang & Ruixi Qiao & Yunlong Ren & Junting Chen & Chen Huang & Xu Zhou & Guangyu Zhang & Zhilie Tang & Dapeng Yu & Feng Ding, 2023. "Universal epitaxy of non-centrosymmetric two-dimensional single-crystal metal dichalcogenides," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    13. Xue-Guang Chen & Linhan Lin & Guan-Yao Huang & Xiao-Mei Chen & Xiao-Ze Li & Yun-Ke Zhou & Yixuan Zou & Tairan Fu & Peng Li & Zhengcao Li & Hong-Bo Sun, 2024. "Optofluidic crystallithography for directed growth of single-crystalline halide perovskites," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    14. Lu Li & Qinqin Wang & Fanfan Wu & Qiaoling Xu & Jinpeng Tian & Zhiheng Huang & Qinghe Wang & Xuan Zhao & Qinghua Zhang & Qinkai Fan & Xiuzhen Li & Yalin Peng & Yangkun Zhang & Kunshan Ji & Aomiao Zhi , 2024. "Epitaxy of wafer-scale single-crystal MoS2 monolayer via buffer layer control," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

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