Scanning Electron Microscopy Imaging of Twist Domains in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Heterostructures

Twisted two-dimensional (2D) material heterostructures provide an exciting platform for investigating fundamental physical phenomena. Many of the most interesting behaviors emerge at small twist angles, where the materials reconstruct to form areas of perfectly stacked crystals separated by partial dislocations. However, understanding the properties of these systems is often impossible without correlative imaging of their local reconstructed domain configuration, which exhibits random variations due to disorder and contamination. In particular, visualization of the local domain configuration allows determination of the local twist angle and, hence, the local lattice strain. Here, we demonstrate a simple and widely accessible route to visualize domains in the as-produced twisted transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) heterostructures using electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This nondestructive approach is compatible with conventional substrates and allows domains to be visualized even when sealed beneath an encapsulation layer. Complementary theoretical calculations reveal how a combination of elastic and inelastic scattering leads to contrast inversions at the specified detector scattering angles and sample tilts. We demonstrate that optimal domain contrast is therefore achieved by maximizing signal collection while avoiding contrast inversion conditions.