Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Fabrication of atomically flat cleavage planes with ultrafast laser scribing

Scali, Francesco ; Chen, Wanyu ; Berntsen, Magnus H. ; Li, Cong ; Osiecki, Jacek LU ; Thiagarajan, Balasubramanian LU ; Phuyal, Dibya ; Dendzik, Maciej and Tjernberg, Oscar (2026) In Scientific Reports 16(1).
Abstract

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... (More)

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.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Scientific Reports
volume
16
issue
1
article number
22066
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • pmid:42448723
  • scopus:105044510384
ISSN
2045-2322
DOI
10.1038/s41598-026-51163-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2026.
id
d9071217-48ae-46f9-9243-cb599b70e202
date added to LUP
2026-09-14 15:25:12
date last changed
2026-09-15 03:00:03
@article{d9071217-48ae-46f9-9243-cb599b70e202,
  abstract     = {{<p>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.</p>}},
  author       = {{Scali, Francesco and Chen, Wanyu and Berntsen, Magnus H. and Li, Cong and Osiecki, Jacek and Thiagarajan, Balasubramanian and Phuyal, Dibya and Dendzik, Maciej and Tjernberg, Oscar}},
  issn         = {{2045-2322}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Scientific Reports}},
  title        = {{Fabrication of atomically flat cleavage planes with ultrafast laser scribing}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-51163-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41598-026-51163-0}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}