A Capillary-Force-Assisted Transfer for Monolayer Transition-Metal-Dichalcogenide Crystals with High Utilization

The capillary-force-assisted transfer has shown application potential for constructing two-dimensional (2D) electronic and optoelectronic devices for the advantage of free of spin coating the organic compound and etching the substrate. Currently, the transfer mechanism remains obscure. The capillary adhesion mechanism and capillary invasion separation mechanism were proposed independently and rarely discussed in a comprehensive manner. What is more, the integrity and utilization remain to be improved. Here, we developed the capillary-force-assisted transfer method with high utilization and integrity. Uniformity of water transport was improved by introducing water from the sidewall of the small polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamp driven by capillary force. The transfer integrity rate increased, and the location of the complete samples became predictable. The transfer utilization increased as the limited water transportation minimized the impact on the surrounding WS₂. The monolayer triangle WS₂ crystals from adjacent areas on the sapphire substrate were transferred one after another. Besides, local mechanical exfoliation of the continuous WS₂ thin films was demonstrated, implying that the capillary adhesion is strong enough to break the strong in-plane covalent bond and overcome the van der Waals force between WS₂ and sapphire substrate. Finally, the water transport model between two surfaces with different hydrophobicity combinations was derived on the basis of the Young-Laplace equation. The analysis of water transport between different interfaces reveals how capillary adhesion and capillary invasion work together to achieve capillary force transfer. This study highlights the potential of the capillary-force-assisted transfer as an efficient technique for fabricating van der Waals structures based on two-dimensional atomic crystals, especially periodic structures.