Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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FM: Fachverband Funktionsmaterialien
FM 11: Poster Session Functional Materials
FM 11.23: Poster
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 18:00–20:30, P4
Reversible nanoscale patterning of WTe2 with a scanning tunneling microscope — •Kevin Hauser1,2, Danyang Liu1, Berk Zengin1, Jens Oppliger1, Samuel Mañas-Valero4, Catherine Witteveen5, Fabian O. von Rohr5, Jennifer E. Hoffman2,3, and Fabian D. Natterer1 — 1Department of Physics, University of Zurich, Switzerland — 2Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA — 3School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA — 4Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, Spain — 5Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Manipulating the lattice structure of quantum materials that host ferroelectric or Weyl semimetal phases provides a route to control these states on nanometer length scales. Prior experiments on the type-II Weyl semimetal candidate WTe2 have demonstrated ferroelectric switching on micrometer length scales and transient control of the predicted topological phase via ultrafast excitations. However, both approaches lack the ability to induce persistent, localized distortions on the nanometer scale. In this contribution, we use current pulses applied by a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to write, move, and erase nanoscale lattice distortions on WTe2. The resulting lattice distortions consist of picometer-scale in-plane and out-of-plane atomic displacements, accompanied by changes in the local density of states. The in-plane shifts are on the same order of magnitude as expected for ferroelectric switching. These results demonstrate local, reversible control of the lattice structure of WTe2 on nanometer length scales.
Keywords: STM; WTe2; Ferroelectric switching; weyl semimetal; lattice engineering