Multiscale van der Waals Metallization via Peel-Front Strain Engineering

Abstract

Integrating van der Waals (vdW) devices into circuits requires metal electrodes and interconnects spanning nanometer to millimeter scales, yet mechanical deformation during electrode transfer compromises geometric integrity across this range. This work identifies strain localized at the carrier peel-front as a dominant factor influencing transferred metal geometry. Evaluating the peel-front strain against thickness-dependent strain tolerance of the carrier layer yields a mechanics-based framework that predicts the carrier thickness for geometry-preserving transfer. Operating within this regime preserves line continuity, edge definition, and dimensional accuracy from sub-100 nm to millimeters in a single transfer. The impact of geometric preservation is evident in MoS2 memristors with transferred electrodes as narrow as 80 nm, which improve switching durability by more than an order of magnitude, and in field-effect transistors with a channel length of 70 nm and ultrascaled contact geometries. These results provide a practical route toward scalable vdW metallization for 2D electronics.