An international research team led by NYU Tandon School of Engineering and KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) has pioneered a new technique to identify and characterize atomic-scale defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a two-dimensional (2D) material often dubbed "white graphene" for its remarkable properties.
This advance could accelerate the development of next-generation electronics and quantum technologies.
The team reported that it was able to detect the presence of individual carbon atoms replacing boron atoms in hBN crystals. This discovery was made possible by listening to the electronic "noise" in specially designed transistors, akin to hearing a whisper in a quiet room.
ACS Nano selected the research paper as its cover story for the October 22, 2024 edition.
"In this project, we essentially created a stethoscope for 2D materials," said Davood Shahrjerdi, one of the paper's corresponding authors along with Yong-Hoon Kim. "By analyzing the tiny and rhythmic fluctuations in electrical current, we can 'perceive' the behavior of single atomic defects."
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