A bulk TMD crystal is first cleaved repeatedly using Scotch tape to reduce its thickness through repeated adhesive exfoliation. The thin fragments remaining on the tape are then brought into contact with a clean PDMS stamp. Thin flakes are transferred from the tape onto the PDMS surface. The PDMS carrying the exfoliated flakes is subsequently brought into contact with a target substrate, typically a Si/SiO₂ substrate. By carefully controlling the contact and peeling speed, the TMD flakes can be released from the PDMS onto the substrate. 

Twisted bilayer devices are fabricated using the tear-and-stack technique to achieve precise control over twist angles. Monolayer MX2 flakes of sufficient length are torn to obtain flakes with the same orientation. Twisting one of such flakes and then stacking it on top of another will enable the construction of devices with controlled twist angles. To create heterobilayer stacks, flakes with properly defined edges are selected. Employing the tear-and-stack method on such flakes will enable us to create bilayers with zig-zag/zig-zag alignment or zig-zag/armchair alignment.