{"paper_id":"51d2bbc6-10e6-48d2-9afa-eb33a9aca51e","body_text":"Visualizing Nanoscale Charge Flows in Multi-Dimensional WSe2/GaAs Vertical Diodes | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Visualizing Nanoscale Charge Flows in Multi-Dimensional WSe2/GaAs Vertical Diodes Valerio Piazza, Michele Zendrini, Claire Blaga, Kamil Wodzislawski, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7695608/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The unique properties of transition metal dichalcogenides provide a versatile platform for scalable, room-temperature quantum devices. Their future commercialization will inevitably depend on the development of heterostructures facilitating charge injection into pre-defined areas of 2D components. We showcase here an innovative approach to accurately engineer electrically active nanoscale regions in multidimensional heterostructures made of WSe₂ layers and GaAs, thin films and one-dimensional nanostructures. The rectifying behavior of these stacks is visualized through electron-beam induced current mapping with unprecedented spatial resolution. These electrical measurements reveal local diffusive and drift charge flows through the diode. Notably, we observe a significant reduction in the effective carrier concentration in WSe2 layers thinner than 15 nm. 2D/1D ensembles exhibit in-plane confinement of the space charge region as narrow as 140 nm. This level of control over dimensionality, position, and size opens exciting avenues to achieve tunable quantum sources, one step closer to 2D-based quantum devices Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale devices Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Electronic properties and materials Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupportingInformation.pdf Supporting Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-7695608\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":520439003,\"identity\":\"bd95cd55-17c5-4570-82e2-3dcb945e091b\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Valerio Piazza\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFAC5gYGBgMQDebZABmHGxgYG/BpYUTRksbAwJZIjBYEOExYi8Hxg42PKwpsGMzZmR9//FFzXs6cDaj+5w48Ws4kNhueMUhjsGxmMzCQOHbb2LKNsYGx9wxuLZINiW2SDQaHGUAowYDtduKG+40NzIxteLT0P2z/CdHC/uFAwr9z9RuOMeLXwi+RCHQIWAuPYcPBtgMJBoS1PGwGOiyNx7KZp5ixsS/ZcCfQiIO9eLSw8Scf/Njwx0bOnP/45o8/vtnJm7MxH3zwE48WGOAxgLFAjAOENUBVojJGwSgYBaNgFEABAIGpUVDidJg7AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Valerio\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Piazza\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":520439004,\"identity\":\"de9a0e18-9c15-47a2-baa6-9ec498c6bf69\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Michele Zendrini\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5350-1341\",\"institution\":\"École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Michele\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Zendrini\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":520439005,\"identity\":\"8aa2921e-f2a0-4ede-b165-151cdaca7b63\",\"order_by\":2,\"name\":\"Claire Blaga\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Claire\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Blaga\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":520439006,\"identity\":\"c2297b1b-2f7a-4d2c-ae68-45da27b237ed\",\"order_by\":3,\"name\":\"Kamil Wodzislawski\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Kamil\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Wodzislawski\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":520439007,\"identity\":\"02ca8022-fb1a-4cbb-96f9-7ed3e74816bd\",\"order_by\":4,\"name\":\"Alok Rudra\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Alok\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Rudra\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":520439008,\"identity\":\"e6483cb4-b729-4f2a-b5b6-6fac448b780f\",\"order_by\":5,\"name\":\"Mitali Banerjee\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5690-5822\",\"institution\":\"EPFL\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Mitali\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Banerjee\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":520439009,\"identity\":\"e04e9842-cdd2-4173-9676-d45f411c3841\",\"order_by\":6,\"name\":\"Anna Fontcuberta i Morral\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5070-2196\",\"institution\":\"EPFL\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Anna\",\"middleName\":\"Fontcuberta i\",\"lastName\":\"Morral\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2025-09-23 14:40:59\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7695608/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7695608/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":93109658,\"identity\":\"edd71c64-5204-45cd-9380-cd24889a986d\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2025-10-09 07:27:57\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":966585,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"Article File\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"PaperManuscript.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7695608/v1_covered_c7aad816-1f73-4a86-a4eb-16beea766730.pdf\"},{\"id\":92907887,\"identity\":\"3ab6cf34-daf5-486e-8129-c5b643fad877\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2025-10-07 02:08:40\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"supplement\",\"size\":2396501,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"Supporting Information\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"SupportingInformation.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7695608/v1/4161d7c251c2d3f302178dc5.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"There is \\u003cb\\u003eNO\\u003c/b\\u003e Competing Interest.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Visualizing Nanoscale Charge Flows in Multi-Dimensional WSe2/GaAs Vertical Diodes\",\"fulltext\":[],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":false,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":true,\"hideJournal\":false,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":false,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":true,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":true,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"nature-portfolio\",\"isNatureJournal\":true,\"hasQc\":false,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"\",\"sideBox\":\"\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"Nature Portfolio\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":false,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"ejp\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":false},\"keywords\":\"\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7695608/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7695608/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"The unique properties of transition metal dichalcogenides provide a versatile platform for scalable, room-temperature quantum devices. Their future commercialization will inevitably depend on the development of heterostructures facilitating charge injection into pre-defined areas of 2D components. We showcase here an innovative approach to accurately engineer electrically active nanoscale regions in multidimensional heterostructures made of WSe₂ layers and GaAs, thin films and one-dimensional nanostructures. The rectifying behavior of these stacks is visualized through electron-beam induced current mapping with unprecedented spatial resolution. These electrical measurements reveal local diffusive and drift charge flows through the diode. Notably, we observe a significant reduction in the effective carrier concentration in WSe2 layers thinner than 15 nm. 2D/1D ensembles exhibit in-plane confinement of the space charge region as narrow as 140 nm. This level of control over dimensionality, position, and size opens exciting avenues to achieve tunable quantum sources, one step closer to 2D-based quantum devices\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Visualizing Nanoscale Charge Flows in Multi-Dimensional WSe2/GaAs Vertical Diodes\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2025-10-07 02:08:20\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7695608/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"communications-materials\",\"isNatureJournal\":true,\"hasQc\":false,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"commsmat\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Communications Materials](https://www.nature.com/commsmat/)\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"Communications Materials\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"ejp\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Communications Series\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":false}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"1061c3a3-2e82-4e66-9bdc-9a018647aea6\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"October 7th, 2025\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"under-review\",\"subjectAreas\":[{\"id\":55317719,\"name\":\"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale devices\"},{\"id\":55317720,\"name\":\"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Electronic properties and materials\"},{\"id\":55317721,\"name\":\"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials\"}],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2026-01-15T16:56:29+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":[],\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2025-10-07 02:08:20\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-7695608\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-7695608\",\"identity\":\"rs-7695608\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}