We present an innovative method of selective epitaxial growth of few layers graphene (FLG) on a pre-patterned SiC substrate. The methods involves, successively, the sputtering of a thin AlN layer on top of a mono-crystalline SiC substrate and, then, patterning it with e-beam lithography (EBL) and wet etching. The sublimation of few atomic layers of Si from the SiC substrate occurs only through the selectively etched AlN layer. The presence of the Raman G-band at ~1582 cm-1 in the AlN-free areas is used to validate the concept, it gives absolute evidence of the selective FLG growth.
We investigated the electroluminescent properties of the epitaxial graphene/SiC junction. The temperature and current dependence of electroluminescence from the epitaxial graphene/SiC is measured within a temperature range of 50-300 K. The result of electroluminescence at 300~K is compared with the electroluminescent spectra from aluminium/SiC junction. The difference between the spectra is explained by the different band bending, which could lead to the tunable LED due to the semi-metal character of the graphene. We observed the electroluminescence at both bias polarities and we described the…
Quasi-free standing epitaxial graphene is obtained on SiC(0001) by hydrogen intercalation. The hydrogen moves between the 6root3 reconstructed initial carbon layer and the SiC substrate. The topmost Si atoms which for epitaxial graphene are covalently bound to this buffer layer, are now saturated by hydrogen bonds. The buffer layer is turned into a quasi-free standing graphene monolayer with its typical linear pi-bands. Similarly, epitaxial monolayer graphene turns into a decoupled bilayer. The intercalation is stable in air and can be reversed by annealing to around 900 degrees Celsius.
We have measured optical absorption in mid-infrared spectral range on hydrogen intercalated epitaxial graphene grown on silicon face of SiC. We have used attenuated total reflection geometry to enhance absorption related to the surface and SiC/graphene interface. The samples of epitaxial graphene have been intercalated in the temperature range of 790 to 1250$^\circ$C and compared to the reference samples of hydrogen etched SiC. We have found that although the Si-H bonds form at as low temperatures as 790$^\circ$C, the well developed bond order has been reached only for epitaxial graphene inter…
We demonstrate hydrogen assisted growth of high quality epitaxial graphene on the C-face of 4H-SiC. Compared with the conventional thermal decomposition technique, the size of the growth domain by this method is substantially increased and the thickness variation is reduced. Based on the morphology of epitaxial graphene, the role of hydrogen is revealed. It is found that hydrogen acts as a carbon etchant. It suppresses the defect formation and nucleation of graphene. It also improves the kinetics of carbon atoms via hydrocarbon species. These effects lead to increase of the domain size and the…
We report the growth of high-quality triangular GaN nanomesas, 30-nm thick, on the C-face of 4H-SiC using nano selective area growth (NSAG) with patterned epitaxial graphene grown on SiC as an embedded mask. NSAG alleviates the problems of defective crystals in the heteroepitaxial growth of nitrides, and the high mobility graphene film can readily provide the back low-dissipative electrode in GaN-based optoelectronic devices. The process consists in first growing a 5-8 graphene layers film on the C-face of 4H- SiC by confinement-controlled sublimation of silicon carbide. The graphene film is t…
The evolution in the surface morphology of epitaxial graphene films and 6H-SiC(0001) substrates is studied by electron channeling contrast imaging. Whereas film thickness is determined by growth temperature only, increasing growth times at constant temperature affect both internal stress and film morphology. Annealing times in excess of 8-10 minutes lead to an increase in the mean square roughness of SiC step edges to which graphene films are pinned, resulting in compressively stressed films at room temperature. Shorter annealing times produce minimal changes in the morphology of the terrace e…
The realization of air-stable 2D metals epitaxial to SiC and capped by graphene creates a potentially immense chemical space of 2D metals and alloys that could expand the variety of solid-state excitations unique to 2D metals beyond what is known for graphene and niobium/tantalum chalcogenides. We perform a high-throughput computational survey from first-principles predicting the structures and stabilities of all metals in the periodic table when they intercalate graphene/SiC. Our results not only agrees with all experimentally known metal/SiC structures explored so far, but also reveals consp…
We study the charge transfer between a quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene, produced by hydrogen intercalation, and surface acceptor states. We consider two models of acceptor density of states to explain the high hole densities observed in graphene and find the density responsivity to the gate voltage. By studying magneto-oscillations of the carrier density we provide an experimental way to determine the relevant model.
The thermal decomposition of SiC surface provides, perhaps, the most promising method for the epitaxial growth of graphene on a material useful in the electronics platform. Currently, efforts are focused on a reliable method for the growth of large-area, low-strain epitaxial graphene that is still lacking. We report here a novel method for the fast, single-step epitaxial growth of large-area homogeneous graphene film on the surface of SiC(0001) using an infrared CO2 laser (10.6 μm) as the heating source. Apart from enabling extreme heating and cooling rates, which can control the stacking orde…
We report a Raman study of the so-called buffer layer with $(6\sqrt3\times6\sqrt3)R30^{\circ}$ periodicity which forms the intrinsic interface structure between epitaxial graphene and SiC(0001). We show that this interface structure leads to a nonvanishing signal in the Raman spectrum at frequencies in the range of the D- and G-band of graphene and discuss its shape and intensity. Ab-initio phonon calculations reveal that these features can be attributed to the vibrational density of states of the buffer-layer.
We present a structural analysis of the graphene-4HSiC(0001) interface using surface x-ray reflectivity. We find that the interface is composed of an extended reconstruction of two SiC bilayers. The interface directly below the first graphene sheet is an extended layer that is more than twice the thickness of a bulk SiC bilayer (~1.7A compared to 0.63A). The distance from this interface layer to the first graphene sheet is much smaller than the graphite interlayer spacing but larger than the same distance measured for graphene grown on the (000-1) surface, as predicted previously by ab intio c…
The early stages of epitaxial graphene layer growth on the Si-terminated 6H-SiC(0001) are investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and depolarized Raman spectroscopy. The selection of the depolarized component of the scattered light results in a significant increase in the C-C bond signal over the second order SiC Raman signal, which allows to resolve submonolayer growth, including individual, localized C=C dimers in a diamond-like carbon matrix for AES C/Si ratio of $\sim$3, and a strained graphene layer with delocalized electrons and Dirac single-band dispersion for AES C/Si ratio $…
Graphene is a promising contender to succeed the throne of silicon in electronics. To this goal, large-scale epitaxial growth of graphene on substrates should be developed. Among various methods along this line, epitaxial growth of graphene on SiC substrates by thermal decomposition of surface layers has proved itself quite satisfactory both in quality and in process reliability. Even modulation of structural and hence electronic properties of graphene is possible by tuning the graphene/SiC interface structure. The challenges for this graphene-on-SiC technology, however, are the abdication of …
The fabrication of epitaxial graphene (EG) on SiC substrate by annealing has attracted a lot of interest as it may speed up the application of graphene for future electronic devices. The interaction of EG and the SiC substrate is critical to its electronic and physical properties. In this work, Raman spectroscopy was used to study the structure of EG and its interaction with SiC substrate. All the Raman bands of EG blue shift from that of bulk graphite and graphene made by micromechanical cleavage, which was attributed to the compressive strain induced by the substrate. A model containing 13 x…
We present energy filtered electron emission spectromicroscopy with spatial and wave-vector resolution on few layer epitaxial graphene on SiC$(000-1) grown by furnace annealing. Low energy electron microscopy shows that more than 80% of the sample is covered by 2-3 graphene layers. C1s spectromicroscopy provides an independent measurement of the graphene thickness distribution map. The work function, measured by photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM), varies across the surface from 4.34 to 4.50eV according to both the graphene thickness and the graphene-SiC interface chemical state. At least…
We present a new fabrication method for epitaxial graphene on SiC which enables the growth of ultra-smooth defect- and bilayer-free graphene sheets with an unprecedented reproducibility, a necessary prerequisite for wafer-scale fabrication of high quality graphene-based electronic devices. The inherent but unfavorable formation of high SiC surface terrace steps during high temperature sublimation growth is suppressed by rapid formation of the graphene buffer layer which stabilizes the SiC surface. The enhanced nucleation is enforced by decomposition of polymer adsorbates which act as a carbon …
Up to two layers of epitaxial graphene have been grown on the Si-face of two-inch SiC wafers exhibiting room-temperature Hall mobilities up to 1800 cm^2/Vs, measured from ungated, large, 160 micron x 200 micron Hall bars, and up to 4000 cm^2/Vs, from top-gated, small, 1 micron x 1.5 micron Hall bars. The growth process involved a combination of a cleaning step of the SiC in a Si-containing gas, followed by an annealing step in Argon for epitaxial graphene formation. The structure and morphology of this graphene has been characterized using AFM, HRTEM, and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, top-g…
Strain engineering has attracted great attention, particularly for epitaxial films grown on a different substrate. Residual strains of SiC have been widely employed to form ultra-high frequency and high Q factor resonators. However, to date the highest residual strain of SiC was reported to be limited to approximately 0.6%. Large strains induced into SiC could lead to several interesting physical phenomena, as well as significant improvement of resonant frequencies. We report an unprecedented nano strain-amplifier structure with an ultra-high residual strain up to 8% utilizing the natural resi…
Thick, high-purity semi-insulating (SI)homoepitaxial layers on Si-face 4H-SiC weregrownsystematically, with resistivity \geq 109Ω-cmby maintaining high C/Si ratios 1.3-15 during growth.Comparison of secondary ion mass spectra betweenlow-dopedepilayers grown at C/Si ratio<1.3andSI-epilayers grown at C/Si ratio>1.3 showed little difference in residual impurity concentrations. A reconciliation of impurity concentration with measured resistivity indicated a compensating trap concentration of ~1015cm-3present only in the SI-epilayers. High- resolution photo induced transient spectroscopy (HRPITS) i…
We report the use of a surfactant molecule during the epitaxy of graphene on SiC(0001) that leads to the growth in an unconventional orientation, namely $R0^\circ$ rotation with respect to the SiC lattice. It yields a very high-quality single-layer graphene with a uniform orientation with respect to the substrate, on the wafer scale. We find an increased quality and homogeneity compared to the approach based on the use of a pre-oriented template to induce the unconventional orientation. Using spot profile analysis low energy electron diffraction, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, and …
We report a direct correlation between carrier mobility and Raman topography of epitaxial graphene (EG) grown on silicon carbide (SiC). We show the Hall mobility of material on the Si-face of SiC [SiC(0001)] is not only highly dependent on thickness uniformity but also on monolayer strain uniformity. Only when both thickness and strain are uniform over a significant fraction (> 40%) of the device active area does the mobility exceed 1000 cm2/V-s. Additionally, we achieve high mobility epitaxial graphene (18,100 cm2/V-s at room temperature) on the C-face of SiC [SiC(000-1)] and show that carrie…
The inability to grow large well ordered graphene with a specific number of layers on SiC(0001) is well known. The growth involves several competing processes (Si desorption, carbon diffusion, island nucleation etc.), and because of the high temperatures, it has not been possible to identify the growth mechanism. Using Scanning tunneling microscopy and an initially vicinal 6H-SiC(0001) sample, we determine the sequence of microscopic processes that result in the formation of bilayer graphene. Adjacent steps retract with different speeds and the carbon released produces characteristic "fingers"…
Raman spectra were measured for mono-, bi- and trilayer graphene grown on SiC by solid state graphitization, whereby the number of layers was pre-assigned by angle-resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. It was found that the only unambiguous fingerprint in Raman spectroscopy to identify the number of layers for graphene on SiC(0001) is the linewidth of the 2D (or D*) peak. The Raman spectra of epitaxial graphene show significant differences as compared to micromechanically cleaved graphene obtained from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite crystals. The G peak is found to be blue-shift…
Thick, high quality 4H-SiC epilayers have been grown in a vertical hot-wall chemical vapor deposition system at a high growth rate on (0001) 80 off-axis substrates. We discuss the use of dichlorosilane as the Si-precursor for 4H-SiC epitaxial growth as it provides the most direct decomposition route into SiCl2, which is the predominant growth species in chlorinated chemistries. A specular surface morphology was attained by limiting the hydrogen etch rate until the system was equilibrated at the desired growth temperature. The RMS roughness of the grown films ranged from 0.5-2.0 nm with very fe…
The materials science of graphene grown epitaxially on the hexagonal basal planes of SiC crystals is reviewed. We show that the growth of epitaxial graphene on Si-terminated SiC(0001) is much different than growth on the C-terminated SiC(000 -1) surface, and discuss the physical structure of these graphenes. The unique electronic structure and transport properties of each type of epitaxial graphene is described, as well as progress toward the development of epitaxial graphene devices. This materials system is rich in subtleties, and graphene grown on the two polar faces differs in important wa…
We present epitaxial graphene (EG) growth on non-polar a-plane and m-plane 6H-SiC faces where material characterization is compared with that known for EG grown on polar faces. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) surface morphology exhibits nanocrystalline graphite like features for non-polar faces, while the polar silicon face shows step like features. This differing behavior is attributed to the lack of a hexagonal template on the non-polar faces. Non-polar faces also exhibit greater disorder and red shift of all Raman peaks (D, G and 2D) with increasing temperature. This is attributed to decreasi…
We have measured the electrical response to NO$_2$, N$_2$, NH$_3$ and CO for epitaxial graphene and quasi freestanding epitaxial graphene on 6H-SiC substrates. Quasi freestanding epitaxial graphene shows a 6 fold increase in NO2 sensitivity compared to epitaxial graphene. Both samples show a sensitivity better than the experimentally limited 1 ppb. The strong increase in sensitivity of quasi freestanding epitaxial graphene can be explained by a Fermi-energy close to the Dirac Point leading to a strongly surface doping dependent sample resistance. Both sensors show a negligible sensitivity to N…
The unique electronic properties of graphene offer the possibility that it could replace silicon when microelectronics evolves to nanoelectronics. Graphene grown epitaxially on silicon carbide is particularly attractive in this regard because SiC is itself a useful semiconductor and, by suitable manipulation of the growth conditions, epitaxial films can be produced that exhibit all the transport properties of ideal, two-dimensional graphene desired for device applications. Nevertheless, there is little or no understanding of the actual kinetics of growth, which is likely to be required for fut…
We use ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition to grow polycrystalline silicon carbide (SiC) on c-plane sapphire wafers which are then annealed between 1250 and 1450°C in vacuum to create epitaxial multilayer graphene (MLG). Despite the surface roughness and small domain size of the polycrystalline SiC, a conformal MLG film is formed. By planarizing the SiC prior to graphene growth, a reduction of the Raman defect band is observed in the final MLG. The graphene formed on polished SiC films also demonstrates significantly more ordered layer-by-layer growth and increased carrier mobility for…
Graphene, consisting of an inert, thermally stable material with an atomically flat, dangling bond-free surface is by essence an ideal template layer for van der Waals heteroepitaxy of two-dimensional materials such as silicene. However, depending on the synthesis method and growth parameters, graphene (Gr) substrates could exhibit, on a single sample, various surface structures, thicknesses, defects, and step heights. These structures noticeably affect the growth mode of epitaxial layers, e.g. turning the layer-by-layer growth into the Volmer-Weber growth promoted by defect-assisted nucleatio…
The crystallographic symmetries and spatial distribution of stacking domains in graphene films on SiC have been studied by low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and dark field imaging in a low energy electron microscope (LEEM). We find that the graphene diffraction spots from 2 and 3 atomic layers of graphene have 3-fold symmetry consistent with AB (Bernal) stacking of the layers. On the contrary, graphene diffraction spots from the buffer layer and monolayer graphene have apparent 6-fold symmetry, although the 3-fold nature of the satellite spots indicates a more complex periodicity in the g…
This paper describes the behavior of top gated transistors fabricated using carbon, particularly epitaxial graphene on SiC, as the active material. In the past decade research has identified carbon-based electronics as a possible alternative to silicon-based electronics. This enthusiasm was spurred by high carbon nanotube carrier mobilities. However, nanotube production, placement, and control are all serious issues. Graphene, a thin sheet of graphitic carbon, can overcome some of these problems and therefore is a promising new electronic material. Although graphene devices have been built bef…
Epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001) suffers from strong intrinsic n-type doping. We demonstrate that the excess negative charge can be fully compensated by non-covalently functionalizing graphene with the strong electron acceptor tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ). Charge neutrality can be reached in monolayer graphene as shown in electron dispersion spectra from angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). In bilayer graphene the band gap that originates from the SiC/graphene interface dipole increases with increasing F4-TCNQ deposition and, as a consequence of the molecular do…
We propose a table-top method to obtain bilayer quasi-free-standing epitaxial-graphene (QFSEG) on SiC(0001). By applying a microwave annealing in air to a monolayer epitaxial graphene (EG) grown on SiC(0001), the buffer layer is decoupled from the SiC substrate and becomes the second EG layer as confirmed by the low energy electron diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The most likely mechanism of the decoupling is given by the oxidation of the SiC surface, w…
We analyse doping of graphene grown on SiC in two models which differ by the source of charge transfered to graphene, namely, from SiC surface and from bulk donors. For each of the two models, we find the maximum electron density induced in monolayer and bilayer graphene, which is determined by the difference between the work function for electrons in pristine graphene and donor states on/in SiC, and analyse the responsivity of graphene to the density variation by means of electrostatic gates.
In recent years, graphene growth optimization has been one of the key routes towards large-scale, high-quality graphene production. We have measured in-situ residual gas content during epitaxial graphene growth on silicon carbide (SiC) to find detrimental factors of epitaxial graphene growth. The growth conditions in high vacuum and purified argon are compared. The grown epitaxial graphene is studied by Raman scattering mapping and mechanical strain, charge density, number of graphene layers and graphene grain size are evaluated. Charge density and carrier mobility has been studied by Hall eff…
Graphene grown epitaxially on SiC has been proposed as a material for carbon-based electronics. Understanding the interface between graphene and the SiC substrate will be important for future applications. We report the ability to image the interface structure beneath single-layer graphene using scanning tunneling microscopy. Such imaging is possible because the graphene appears transparent at energies of 1 eV above or below the Fermi energy. Our analysis of calculations based on density functional theory shows how this transparency arises from the electronic structure of a graphene layer on a…
Recent transport measurements on thin graphite films grown on SiC show large coherence lengths and anomalous integer quantum Hall effects expected for isolated graphene sheets. This is the case eventhough the layer-substrate epitaxy of these films implies a strong interface bond that should induce perturbations in the graphene electronic structure. Our DFT calculations confirm this strong substrate-graphite bond in the first adsorbed carbon layer that prevents any graphitic electronic properties for this layer. However, the graphitic nature of the film is recovered by the second and third abso…
Growth of epitaxial graphene on the C-face of SiC has been investigated. Using a confinement controlled sublimation (CCS) method, we have achieved well controlled growth and been able to observe propagation of uniform monolayer graphene. Surface patterns uncover two important aspects of the growth, i.e. carbon diffusion and stoichiometric requirement. Moreover, a new "stepdown" growth mode has been discovered. Via this mode, monolayer graphene domains can have an area of hundreds of square micrometers, while, most importantly, step bunching is avoided and the initial uniformly stepped SiC surf…
We present an orbital-resolved density functional theory study on the electronic properties of hydrogen and lithium intercalated graphene grown on the Si face of SiC. Starting from the $(6\sqrt3\times6\sqrt3)R30^{\circ}$ surface reconstruction of the graphene/SiC heterosystem, we find that both H and Li can restore the ideal structural characteristics of the two nonequivalent junction parts (i.e. graphene and the SiC substrate) when inserted at the interface. However, the chemical/electrostatic interactions remain different for the two cases. Hence, H-intercalated epitaxial graphene is subject…
Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GID) was employed to probe the structure of atomically thin carbon layers on SiC(0001): a so-called buffer layer (BL) with a $6(\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3})$R30$^\circ$ periodicity, a monolayer graphene (MLG) on top of the BL, and a bilayer graphene (BLG). The GID analysis was complemented by Raman spectroscopy. The lattice parameter of each layer was measured with high precision by GID. The BL possesses a different lattice parameter and corrugation when it is uncovered or beneath MLG. Our results demonstrate that the interfacial BL is the main responsible for t…
A method is proposed to extract pure Raman spectrum of epitaxial graphene on SiC by using a Non-negative Matrix Factorization. It overcomes problems of negative spectral intensity and poorly resolved spectra resulting from a simple subtraction of a SiC background from the experimental data. We also show that the method is similar to deconvolution, for spectra composed of multiple sub- micrometer areas, with the advantage that no prior information on the impulse response functions is needed. We have used this property to characterize the Raman laser beam. The method capability in efficient data…
We investigate the growth of the graphene buffer layer and the involved step bunching behavior of the silicon carbide substrate surface using atomic force microscopy. The formation of local buffer layer domains are identified to be the origin of undesirably high step edges in excellent agreement with the predictions of a general model of step dynamics. The applied polymer-assisted sublimation growth method demonstrates that the key principle to suppress this behavior is the uniform nucleation of the buffer layer. In this way, the silicon carbide surface is stabilized such that ultra-flat surfa…
Epitaxial MgSnN2 on 4H-SiC (0001): An Earth-Abundant Nitride for Green Optoelectronics and Photovoltaics
Linköping University（林雪平大学）；Stanford University（斯坦福大学）；Lund University（隆德大学）；HUN-REN – Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science（匈牙利研究与创新网络技术物理与材料科学研究所）；Forschungszentrum Jülich（于利希研究中心）；Uppsala University（乌普萨拉大学）
We present electronic structure calculations of few-layer epitaxial graphene nanoribbons on SiC(0001). Trough an atomistic description of the graphene layers and the substrate within the extended Hückel Theory and real/momentum space projections we argue that the role of the heterostructure's interface becomes crucial for the conducting capacity of the studied systems. The key issue arising from this interaction is a Fermi level pinning effect introduced by dangling interface bonds. Such phenomenon is independent from the width of the considered nanostructures, compromising the importance of c…
We review progress in developing epitaxial graphene as a material for carbon electronics. In particular, improvements in epitaxial graphene growth, interface control and the understanding of multilayer epitaxial graphene's electronic properties are discussed. Although graphene grown on both polar faces of SiC is addressed, our discussions will focus on graphene grown on the (000-1) C-face of SiC. The unique properties of C-face multilayer epitaxial graphene have become apparent. These films behave electronically like a stack of nearly independent graphene sheets rather than a thin Bernal-stack…
SiC epitaxial films grown in an inverted chimney CVD reactor are analyzed and compared for growth rates, doping concentration and surface morphology using silane-propane-hydrogen and dichlorosilane (DCS)-propane-hydrogen chemistry systems. A general 1-D analytical model is presented to estimate the diffusivity of precursor gases, boundary layer thickness and growth rates for both gas systems. Decomposition of precursor gases into Si growth species is investigated by a commercial simulation tool, Virtual Reactor (VR). DCS suppresses the formation of elemental Si at lower pressures, reduces prec…
We investigate the magnetotransport properties of quasi-free standing epitaxial graphene bilayer on SiC, grown by atmospheric pressure graphitization in Ar, followed by H$_2$ intercalation. At the charge neutrality point the longitudinal resistance shows an insulating behavior, which follows a temperature dependence consistent with variable range hopping transport in a gapped state. In a perpendicular magnetic field, we observe quantum Hall states (QHSs) both at filling factors ($ν$) multiple of four ($ν=4, 8, 12$), as well as broken valley symmetry QHSs at $ν=0$ and $ν=6$. These results unamb…
An in vacuo thermal desorption process has been accomplished to form epitaxial graphene (EG) on 4H- and 6H-SiC substrates using a commercial chemical vapor deposition reactor. Correlation of growth conditions and the morphology and electrical properties of EG are described. Raman spectra of EG on Si-face samples were dominated by monolayer thickness. This approach was used to grow EG on 50 mm SiC wafers that were subsequently fabricated into field effect transistors with fmax of 14 GHz.
The potential of graphene to impact the development of the next generation of electronics has renewed interest in its growth and structure. The graphitization of hexagonal SiC surfaces provides a viable alternative for the synthesis of graphene, with wafer-size epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001) now possible. Despite this recent progress, the exact nature of the graphene-SiC interface and whether the graphene even has a semiconducting gap remain controversial. Using scanning tunneling microscopy with functionalized tips and density functional theory calculations, here we show that the interface i…
Monolayer epitaxial graphene is an appropriate candidate for a wide variety of electronic and optical applications. One advantage of growing graphene on the Si face of SiC is that it develops as a single crystal, as does the layer underneath, commonly referred to as the interfacial buffer layer. The properties of this supporting layer include a band gap, making it of interest to groups seeking to build devices with on-off capabilities. In this work, using density functional theory, we have calculated the bonding characteristics of the buffer layer to the SiC substrate beneath. These calculatio…
A simple, non-invasive method using Raman spectroscopy for the estimation of the thickness of graphene layers grown epitaxially on silicon carbide (SiC) is presented, enabling simultaneous determination of thickness, grain size and disorder using the spectra. The attenuation of the substrate Raman signal due to the graphene overlayer is found to be dependent on the graphene film thickness deduced from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy of the surfaces. We explain this dependence using an absorbing overlayer model. This method can be used for mapping graphene …
We present a minimal but crucial microscopic theory for epitaxial graphene and graphene nanoribbons on the 4H-SiC(0001) surface -- protopypical materials to explore physical properties of graphene in large scale. Coarse-grained model Hamiltonians are constructed based on the atomic and electronic structures of the systems from first-principles calculations. From the theory, we unambiguously uncover origins of several intriguing experimental observations such as broken-symmetry states around the Dirac points and new energy bands arising throughout the Brillouin zone, thereby establishing the ro…
The effect of oxygen adsorption on the local structure and electronic properties of monolayer graphene grown on SiC(0001) has been studied by means of Low Energy Electron Microscopy (LEEM), microprobe Low Energy Electron Diffraction (\muLEED) and microprobe Angle Resolved Photoemission (\muARPES). We show that the buffer layer of epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001) is partially decoupled after oxidation. The monitoring of the oxidation process demonstrates that the oxygen saturates the Si dangling bonds, breaks some Si-C bonds at the interface and intercalates the graphene layer. Accurate control …
Interest in the use of graphene in electronic devices has motivated an explosion in the study of this remarkable material. The simple, linear Dirac cone band structure offers a unique possibility to investigate its finer details by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). Indeed, ARPES has been performed on graphene grown on metal substrates but electronic applications require an insulating substrate. Epitaxial graphene grown by the thermal decomposition of silicon carbide (SiC) is an ideal candidate for this due to the large scale, uniform graphene layers produced. The experimental …
We found an intrinsic redistribution of charge arises between epitaxial graphene, which has intrinsically n-type doping, and an undoped substrate. In particular, we studied in detail epitaxial graphene layers thermally elaborated on C-terminated $4H$-$SiC$ ($4H$-$SiC$ ($000{\bar{1}}$)). We have investigated the charge distribution in graphene-substrate systems using Raman spectroscopy. The influence of the substrate plasmons on the longitudinal optical phonons of the $SiC$ substrates has been detected. The associated charge redistribution reveals the formation of a capacitance between the grap…
