Reproducibility in the fabrication and physics of moiré materials

Abstract

Overlaying two atomic layers with a slight lattice mismatch or at a small rotation angle creates a moiré superlattice, which has properties that are markedly modified from (and at times entirely absent in) the 'parent' materials. Such moiré materials have progressed the study and engineering of strongly correlated phenomena and topological systems in reduced dimensions. The fundamental understanding of the electronic phases, such as superconductivity, requires a precise control of the challenging fabrication process, involving the rotational alignment of two atomically thin layers with an angular precision below 0.1 degrees. Here we review the essential properties of moiré materials and discuss their fabrication and physics from a reproducibility perspective.