Grain boundary structure of two-dimensional tellurium revealed by 4D STEM

Instruments used

The K3^® IS camera delivers simultaneous low-dose imaging via real-time electron counting, fast continuous data capture, and a large field of view. In a 4D STEM experiment, the STEMx^® system precisely synchronizes the speed of the scanning probe to the camera frame rate to enable high-speed data acquisition and eliminates the potential for data loss.

Background

The recent realization of 2D tellurium (tellurene) has allowed scientists to demonstrate an air-stable monoelemental van der Waals material with remarkable potential for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. The chiral-chain structure of ultrathin Te allows controllable electronic and optical properties due to the non-monotonic carrier mobility and an increase in electronic band-gap as the thickness is reduced. Scalable and accurate production of 2D Te-based functional devices will require detailed knowledge of structural defects and strain field distributions that can be linked to transport properties.