Lattice reconstruction in MoSe$_2$-WSe$_2$ heterobilayers synthesized by chemical vapor deposition

Zhijie Li, Farsane Tabataba-Vakili, Shen Zhao, Anna Rupp, Ismail Bilgin, Ziria Herdegen, Benjamin März, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Gabriel R. Schleder, Anvar S. Baimuratov, Efthimios Kaxiras, Knut Müller-Caspary, Alexander Högele

Published 2022-12-15Version 1

Vertical van der Waals heterostructures of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides realize moir\'e systems with rich correlated electron phases and moir\'e exciton phenomena. For material combinations with small lattice mismatch and twist angles as in MoSe$_2$-WSe$_2$, however, lattice reconstruction eliminates the canonical moir\'e pattern and instead gives rise to arrays of periodically reconstructed nanoscale domains and mesoscopically extended areas of one atomic registry. Here, we elucidate the role of atomic reconstruction in MoSe$_2$-WSe$_2$ heterostructures synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. With complementary imaging down to the atomic scale, simulations, and optical spectroscopy methods we identify the coexistence of moir\'e-type cores and extended moir\'e-free regions in heterostacks with parallel and antiparallel alignment. Our work highlights the potential of chemical vapor deposition for applications requiring moir\'e-free uniform systems and moir\'e-type exciton-confining arrays.