Design and Fabrication of Guiding Patterns for Topography‐Based Searching of 2D Devices for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Measurements

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Authors: Huandong Chen, Hong Li, Yutao Li, He Zhao, Ming Lu, Kazuhiro Fujita, Abhay N. Pasupathy
Cited by: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT We report the design and fabrication of guiding patterns for topography‐based searching of two‐dimensional (2D) devices for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements. Sub‐micron geometric coordinate markers were etched into SiO 2 /Si wafers, serving as both substrates for 2D device integration and guiding maps for sample navigation. Here, we used a monolayer graphene/h‐BN device with an active area of smaller than 20 × 20 µm as a model system and demonstrated that the device could be reliably located in STM solely through topographic imaging of the guiding patterns and in situ stage calibration, without reliance on optical viewports or capacitive sensing. Atomically resolved topographic imaging and tunneling spectroscopy were also obtained. Our proposed navigation strategy is fully compatible with standard device fabrication procedures and requires no hardware modification to existing STM setups. As such, it offers a practical alternative for locating miniaturized devices in STM, shedding light on studying emerging quantum phenomena in 2D systems.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Surface and Thin Film Phenomena Graphene research and applications 2D Materials and Applications

Publication details

Journal / source
Small Methods
Volume
10
Issue
18
Pages
e70961–e70961
Publication date
18 August 2026
Language
EN