  By stacking various two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals [1] on top of each
other, it is possible to create multilayer heterostructures and devices with
designed electronic properties [2-5]. However, various adsorbates become
trapped between layers during their assembly, and this not only affects the
resulting quality but also prevents the formation of a true artificial layered
crystal upheld by van der Waals interaction, creating instead a laminate glued
together by contamination. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has shown
that graphene and boron nitride monolayers, the two best characterized 2D
crystals, are densely covered with hydrocarbons (even after thermal annealing
in high vacuum) and exhibit only small clean patches suitable for atomic
resolution imaging [6-10]. This observation seems detrimental for any realistic
prospect of creating van der Waals materials and heterostructures with
atomically sharp interfaces. Here we employ cross sectional TEM to take a side
view of several graphene-boron nitride heterostructures. We find that the
trapped hydrocarbons segregate into isolated pockets, leaving the interfaces
atomically clean. Moreover, we observe a clear correlation between interface
roughness and the electronic quality of encapsulated graphene. This work proves
the concept of heterostructures assembled with atomic layer precision and
provides their first TEM images.
