Controllable Preparation of 2D Vertical van der Waals Heterostructures and Superlattices for Functional Applications

2D van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) and superlattices (SLs) with exotic physical properties and applications for new devices have attracted immense interest. Compared to conventionally bonded heterostructures, the dangling-bond-free surface of 2D layered materials allows for the feasible integration of various materials to produce vdWHs without the requirements of lattice matching and processing compatibility. The quality of interfaces in artificially stacked vdWHs/vdWSLs and scalability of production remain among the major challenges in the field of 2D materials. Fortunately, bottom-up methods exhibit relatively high controllability and flexibility. The growth parameters, such as the temperature, precursors, substrate, and carrier gas, can be carefully and comprehensively controlled to produce high-quality interfaces and wafer-scale products of vdWHs/vdWSLs. This review focuses on three types of bottom-up methods for the assembly of vdWHs and vdWSLs with atomically clean and electronically sharp interfaces: chemical/physical vapor deposition, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, and ultrahigh vacuum growth. These methods can intuitively illustrate the great flexibility and controllability of bottom-up methods for the preparation of vdWHs/vdWSLs. The latest progress in vdWHs and vdWSLs, related physical phenomena, and (opto)electronic devices are summarized. Finally, the authors discuss current challenges and future perspectives in the synthesis and application of vdWHs and vdWSLs.