Aligning van der Waals Heterostructures Using Electron Backscatter Diffraction

Ramachandra Bangari; Mehdi Mosayebi; John E. Buchner; Joshua D. Caldwell; Nabil D. Bassim; Thomas G. Folland

doi:10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.6c00042

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$Aligning van der Waals Heterostructures Using Electron Backscatter Diffraction$

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Aligning van der Waals Heterostructures Using Electron Backscatter Diffraction

Ramachandra Bangari, Mehdi Mosayebi, John E. Buchner, Joshua D. Caldwell, Nabil D. Bassim and Thomas G. Folland

ACS Nanoscience Au

06/26/2026

DOI: 10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.6c00042

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Abstract

Precise and accurate determination of crystallographic orientation is crucial for engineering van der Waals heterostructures, where the twist angle between layers controls emergent electronic and optical properties. While electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) has been extensively used for bulk materials, its application to van der Waals materials remains largely unexplored. In this work, we demonstrate EBSD as a robust and versatile tool for determining crystallographic orientations of van der Waals materials with high precision. We show quantitative agreement between EBSD-determined orientations and facet orientations in orthorhombic alpha-MoO3 flakes on silicon substrates. We use kernel average misorientation and grain reference orientation distribution across the flakes to demonstrate angular precision better than 0.2 degrees. We extend this technique to other low-symmetry materials, specifically, monoclinic alpha-As2Te3, monoclinic GaTe, and triclinic ReSe2, demonstrating broad applicability across van der Waals materials with different crystal structures. Finally, as a proof-of-concept application, we leverage EBSD-determined orientations to engineer a twisted alpha-MoO3 heterostructure with precisely controlled twist angle, enabling observation of recently reported canalized phonon polaritons. Our results establish EBSD as a powerful characterization method for van der Waals materials, enabling precise orientation control essential for twistronics and twistoptics.

EBSD

Crystallographic Orientation

Low Symmetry VdW Materials

VdW Heterostructures

Twist-optics

UIOWA OA Agreement

Details

Title: Subtitle: Aligning van der Waals Heterostructures Using Electron Backscatter Diffraction
Creators: Ramachandra Bangari - University of Iowa
Mehdi Mosayebi - Division of Materials Science and Engineering
John E. Buchner - Vanderbilt University
Joshua D. Caldwell - Vanderbilt University
Nabil D. Bassim - McMaster University
Thomas G. Folland - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: ACS Nanoscience Au
DOI: 10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.6c00042
ISSN: 2694-2496
eISSN: 2694-2496
Publisher: American Chemical Society
Number of pages: 8
Grant note: 2236807 / National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF) N00014-23-1-2567 / U.S. Department of Defense; United States Department of Defense ALLRP 580935 - 22 / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 06/26/2026
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9985180969102771

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