Eli B. Carlin-Coleman: Robotic assembly of graphene-based heterostructures

Eli B. Carlin-Coleman and Timothy J. Booth Department of Physics  Denmark Technical University  Lyngby, Denmark, 2800  Graphene’s electrical properties suggest exciting new devices, such as fast-switching transistors and low-voltage electronics, which are not possible with silicon technologies today. To realize these properties, graphene usually must be encapsulated in a highly planar insulating material, such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) [1]. Current encapsulation techniques require a large amount of manual input, resulting in a lack of fine control over movements, inconsistency in stacking procedure which can affect experimental results, and the loss of available work hours due to time spent building van der Waals heterostructures.   We present a robotic device with the potential to perform the operations required for stacking autonomously. This allows very fine motor control, increased consistency in procedure, and versatile operation modes. The device has been tested using the hot-pickup technique developed at our lab, but it is theoretically compatible with a wide range of methods [2]. We will show our progress in using the machine so far and demonstrate success in creating electronic devices. We discuss current benefits, potential applications, and future enhancements to improve the capabilities of the system.   [1] C. Dean, et al., Solid State Communications, 152, 1275-1282, (2012) [2] F. Pizzocchero, et al., Nature Communications, 7, 11894, (2016) Eli B. Carlin-Coleman is a research assistant for the Department of Physics at Denmark Technical University. He is working in Timothy J. Booth’s group in the 2D Materials Lab. Their current project is to improve the yield of high-quality graphene heterostructures by automating the stacking process. Eli is also working to complete his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.