Tip-induced excitonic luminescence nanoscopy of an atomically resolved van der Waals heterostructure

The electronic and optical properties of van der Waals heterostructures are strongly influenced by the structuration and homogeneity of their nano- and atomic-scale environments. Unravelling this intimate structure–property relationship is a key challenge that requires methods capable of addressing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature materials 2023-04, Vol.22 (4), p.482-488
Main Authors: López, Luis E. Parra, Rosławska, Anna, Scheurer, Fabrice, Berciaud, Stéphane, Schull, Guillaume
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/357/1018
639/766/119/544
639/925/927/1021
639/925/930/527
Biomaterials
Chemistry and Materials Science
Condensed Matter
Condensed Matter Physics
Emissions
Excitons
Graphene
Heterostructures
Homogeneity
Low temperature
Luminescence
Materials Science
Microscopy
Nanotechnology
Optical and Electronic Materials
Optical properties
Optoelectronics
Physics
Spatial resolution
Substrates
Superlattices
Transition metal compounds
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Summary:The electronic and optical properties of van der Waals heterostructures are strongly influenced by the structuration and homogeneity of their nano- and atomic-scale environments. Unravelling this intimate structure–property relationship is a key challenge that requires methods capable of addressing the light–matter interactions in van der Waals materials with ultimate spatial resolution. Here we use a low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscope to probe—with atomic-scale resolution—the excitonic luminescence of a van der Waals heterostructure, made of a transition metal dichalcogenide monolayer stacked onto a few-layer graphene flake supported by a Au(111) substrate. Sharp emission lines arising from neutral, charged and localized excitons are reported. Their intensities and emission energies vary as a function of the nanoscale topography of the van der Waals heterostructure, explaining the variability of the emission properties observed with diffraction-limited approaches. Our work paves the way towards understanding and controlling optoelectronic phenomena in moiré superlattices with atomic-scale resolution. Tip-induced excitonic luminescence nanoscopy of an atomically resolved van der Waals heterostructure.
ISSN:1476-1122
1476-4660
DOI:10.1038/s41563-023-01494-4