Remote epitaxy has emerged as a groundbreaking technique in the realm of crystal growth, enabling the creation of single-crystalline films that can be easily integrated with various substrates. The fundamental mechanism relies on establishing an epitaxial relationship between a growing film and an underlying substrate, facilitated not through direct atomic bonding but via remote interactions. This approach opens the door to fabricating high-quality epitaxial layers that can be detached and transferred, paving the way for innovations in semiconductor technology, flexible electronics, and more. Traditionally, it has been widely accepted that these remote interactions operate effectively only within an incredibly narrow range—typically less than one nanometer—due to the rapid attenuation of the atomic-scale electric potentials involved.
However, in a new pioneering study published in Nature, researchers have shattered this prevailing notion by demonstrating that remote epitaxy can occur at distances markedly greater than previously thought possible, reaching up to 2 to 7 nanometers. Such an expansion in the effective range of remote interactions fundamentally challenges the existing theoretical framework and opens new vistas for the design and engineering of epitaxial systems. The experimental work centers on multiple material systems, such as CsPbBr_3 film on an NaCl substrate, KCl film on a KCl substrate, and particularly ZnO microrods grown on GaN. These platforms not only validate long-distance remote epitaxy but also reveal intriguing defect-mediated mechanisms underpinning these phenomena.
Long-distance remote epitaxy’s success hinges significantly on the nature and behavior of the substrate’s atomic potential fields. Conventionally, it was assumed that the electric field fluctuations, which act as the guiding template for epitaxial alignment, diminish exponentially within a couple of atomic layers, rendering the substrate’s influence negligible beyond a sub-nanometer scale. Yet, surprisingly, this new research reveals a contrary reality where atomic dislocations and defects within the substrate act as conduits or enhancers for these long-range interactions. In the case of ZnO microrods grown on GaN, detailed microscopic analyses showed a direct correlation between the presence of dislocations in the GaN substrate and the quality of remotely epitaxial growth.
What makes these findings particularly transformative is how they redefine the spatial constraints of remote epitaxy and suggest a novel paradigm wherein engineered defects within the substrate can be harnessed to facilitate remote interaction over unexpectedly large distances. Such defects essentially act as long-range conduits for the epitaxial template, preserving the crystallographic registry between substrate and film even when physically separated by nanometric spacer layers. This insight offers a strategic lever for optimizing the epitaxial process in systems that include atomically thin insulating layers or other intermediate films, vastly broadening the applicability of remote epitaxy.
The researchers also meticulously demonstrated the practical implications of this phenomenon by achieving high-quality epitaxial films in all targeted systems. The CsPbBr_3 film on NaCl and KCl film on KCl exemplify layered ionic compounds, whereas the ZnO/GaN system showcases a semiconductor heterostructure. These successful demonstrations emphasize the versatility of long-distance remote epitaxy across different classes of materials, reinforcing its potential impact on the semiconductor industry. Each of these systems retains crystallographic continuity despite their interposing spacer layers that previously would have been thought to completely suppress epitaxial templating.
One of the critical technical breakthroughs facilitating these discoveries was the ability to accurately characterize the atomic-scale interactions and defect structures within the substrates. Advanced electron microscopy techniques allowed visualization of dislocations correlating precisely with remotely grown ZnO microrods, providing compelling evidence of the role these defects play as mediators of long-distance epitaxy. This synergy between experimental observation and theoretical insight helped clarify why remote epitaxy could be maintained over distances well beyond 1 nm, and even up to 7 nm.
This research carries profound implications for future device engineering. The ability to maintain epitaxy remotely over larger distances means that films can be grown on substrates without intimate physical contact, allowing the insertion of functional interlayers such as buffers or dielectric spacers that can fine-tune electronic, optical, or mechanical properties. In flexible electronics, for instance, this could enable the growth of high-performance semiconductor films on bendable or stretchable substrates, with the film’s crystalline quality uncompromised despite the presence of intermediate layers necessary for mechanical compliance.
Moreover, harnessing defect-mediated long-distance interactions extends the toolkit available to materials scientists and engineers for designing novel heterostructures. It proposes a pathway to intentionally introduce and pattern defects in the substrate, effectively “programming” the spatial epitaxial relationship and film registry. This level of control was previously unattainable in remote epitaxy and may unlock new possibilities for complex architectures, including vertically stacked layers with precisely controlled interfaces essential for quantum devices or advanced optoelectronics.
While the theoretical community will need to revisit existing models to accommodate these extended interactions, the experimental findings provide a robust foundation to inspire new theories that factor in defect-assisted coupling at the nanometer scale. Such theories might delve into the precise electrostatic and strain fields generated by dislocations and their capacity to stabilize epitaxial orientation remotely. Understanding these mechanisms in finer detail would enable predictive design and optimization of remote epitaxial growth across a broader spectrum of materials.
The discovery of long-distance remote epitaxy also invites a re-examination of other interfacial phenomena governed by atomic-scale potentials. It suggests that similar defect-mediated remote interactions might influence processes like catalytic reactions, phase transformations, and charge transport at interfaces separated by nanoscale distances. Cross-disciplinary exploration of these effects could lead to unexpected innovations beyond epitaxial growth, including energy conversion, sensor technologies, and nanoscale patterning.
In summary, the unveiling of long-distance remote epitaxy is a paradigm-shifting advance, breaking the previous dogma of sub-nanometer epitaxial coupling limits. By showing that defect-engineered substrates can mediate remote epitaxial alignment over distances multiple times greater than expected, this work expands the horizons of materials science and device fabrication. Its implications ripple across semiconductor manufacturing, flexible electronics, nanotechnology, and beyond, heralding a new era of precise, scalable, and versatile epitaxial engineering.
As the research community digests and builds upon these exciting findings, we anticipate rapid developments in both experimental capabilities and theoretical frameworks. The marriage of sophisticated characterization tools with nanoscale defect engineering promises a future where remote epitaxy guides the construction of unprecedented materials and devices. The ability to tailor interfaces across nanometric gaps with atomic precision will undoubtedly fuel innovative technologies that shape the landscape of next-generation electronics and photonics.
This breakthrough, detailed in a seminal publication in Nature by Jia, Xin, Potter, and colleagues, serves as a fundamental milestone. It will drive reinvention in how we conceive and fabricate heterostructures, emphasizing the critical yet previously underappreciated role of defect-mediated long-distance interactions. The stage is set for an electrifying chapter in crystal growth and materials science, propelled by the transformative power of remote epitaxy—far beyond what was once imagined possible.
Article References:
Jia, R., Xin, Y., Potter, M. et al. Long-distance remote epitaxy. Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09484-z
