Nanoscale Quantum Materials Department

Directors: Jie Shan & Kin Fai Mak

Many crystals, such as graphite and transition metal dichalcogenides, are built of atomic layers bonded by weak van der Waals forces. As such, they can be separated into stable units of atomic thickness and be stacked vertically to form heterostructures of arbitrary compositions. These atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials have exhibited many remarkable physical properties which are absent in their bulk counterparts. Studies of 2D materials have emerged as one of the most active research areas in condensed matter physics.

At the Department of Nanoscale Quantum Materials, our research focuses on studies of the correlated and topological phenomena that 2D materials permit. Examples include superconductivity, magnetism, Chern insulators, and fractional Chern insulators. We synthesize these materials through the precise control of the composition, stacking order, and often also the relative twist angle between the atomically thin crystals, which varies the periodicity of the emergent superlattice at the interface. We pattern them into nanostructures using advanced nanofabrication techniques and tools. We probe their optical, electronic and magnetic properties and examine the internal degrees of freedom of electrons, as well as the emergent many-body phases of matter, across a wide range of temperature, from room temperature to just a few millikelvin above absolute zero.

Does this spark your curiosity? We are always seeking highly motivated students and scientists to join us on this exciting scientific journey.