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Fabrication of atomically flat cleavage planes with ultrafast laser scribing
Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133, Milano, Italy.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4767-1894
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences (SCI), Applied Physics, Light and Matter Physics.
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences (SCI), Applied Physics, Light and Matter Physics.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7833-3943
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences (SCI), Applied Physics, Light and Matter Physics.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5319-680X
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2026 (English)In: Scientific Reports, E-ISSN 2045-2322, Vol. 16, no 1, article id 22066Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The preparation of extensive, atomically flat surfaces remains a central challenge in modern quantum materials research, as many crystals lack natural cleavage planes suitable for advanced surface-sensitive investigations. Here, we demonstrate that laser scribing guided by an ultrafast laser can be applied to facilitate easy cleavage along a desired crystallographic plane under ultra-high vacuum. The method is validated on two brittle materials, and Si. The technique allows precise spatial localization of the cleaving site and produces extensive, uniformly oriented, and atomically flat surfaces, as verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). When applied to, the technique enables angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements of surface electronic states characteristic of the two-dimensional electron liquid (2DEL) hosted at its bare (100) surface. Moreover, ultrafast laser scribing is significantly faster than focused ion beam (FIB) techniques for preparing cleavable planes, offering a more accessible and efficient approach. Owing to its broad applicability, this method establishes a powerful and general framework to prepare high-quality surfaces for advanced photoemission and microscopic investigations of quantum phenomena.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature , 2026. Vol. 16, no 1, article id 22066
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Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics Condensed Matter Physics Manufacturing, Surface and Joining Technology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-386055DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-51163-0ISI: 001820883300004PubMedID: 42448723Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105044510384OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-386055DiVA, id: diva2:2087917
Note

Correction in DOI 10.1038/s41598-026-64211-6

QC 20260723

Available from: 2026-07-23 Created: 2026-07-23 Last updated: 2026-08-13Bibliographically approved

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Chen, WanyuBerntsen, Magnus H.Li, CongPhuyal, DibyaDendzik, MaciejTjernberg, Oscar

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Scali, FrancescoChen, WanyuBerntsen, Magnus H.Li, CongPhuyal, DibyaDendzik, MaciejTjernberg, Oscar
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Light and Matter Physics
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Atom and Molecular Physics and OpticsCondensed Matter PhysicsManufacturing, Surface and Joining Technology

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