Simultaneous cryogenic nanomanipulation and measurement of van der Waals moires

Van der Waals materials can be combined into layered heterostructures exhibiting new properties which can be tuned by changing the relative alignment between individual layers. Furthermore, their atomically flat surfaces and weak out-of-plane bonding result in low interface friction, enabling heterostructures to be modified at room temperature by sliding layers relative to each other. So far such interlayer motion has not been reported at liquid helium temperatures, which are necessary to observe fragile quantum phenomena. Cryogenic interlayer sliding would enable dynamic studies by allowing simultaneous manipulation and measurement of heterostructures. It would also facilitate rapid, position-sensitive experiments, such as insitu twist angle studies. To this end, we have built a cryogenic nano-manipulation apparatus to slide our mechanically reconfigurable van der Waals heterostructures while at cryogenic temperatures. In this talk, I will discuss our progress towards developing this technique and utilizing it to achieve insitu van der Waals sliding studies.