Excimer-ultraviolet-lamp-assisted selective etching of single-layer graphene and its application in edge-contact devices.

Since the discovery of graphene and its remarkable properties, researchers have actively explored advanced graphene-patterning technologies. While the etching process is pivotal in shaping graphene channels, existing etching techniques have limitations such as low speed, high cost, residue contamination, and rough edges. Therefore, the development of facile and efficient etching methods is necessary. This study entailed the development of a novel technique for patterning graphene through dry etching, utilizing selective photochemical reactions precisely targeted at single-layer graphene (SLG) surfaces. This process is facilitated by an excimer ultraviolet lamp emitting light at a wavelength of 172 nm. The effectiveness of this technique in selectively removing SLG over large areas, leaving the few-layer graphene intact and clean, was confirmed by various spectroscopic analyses. Furthermore, we explored the application of this technique to device fabrication, revealing its potential to enhance the electrical properties of SLG-based devices. One-dimensional (1D) edge contacts fabricated using this method not only exhibited enhanced electrical transport characteristics compared to two-dimensional contact devices but also demonstrated enhanced efficiency in fabricating conventional 1D-contacted devices. This study addresses the demand for advanced technologies suitable for next-generation graphene devices, providing a promising and versatile graphene-patterning approach with broad applicability and high efficiency.

A Modified Wet Transfer Method for Eliminating Interfacial Impurities in Graphene.

Graphene has immense potential as a material for electronic devices owing to its unique electrical properties. However, large-area graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) must be transferred from the as-grown copper substrate to an arbitrary substrate for device fabrication. The conventional wet transfer technique, which uses FeCl3 as a Cu etchant, leaves microscale impurities from the substrate, and the etchant adheres to graphene, thereby degrading its electrical performance. To address this limitation, this study introduces a modified transfer process that utilizes a temporary UV-treated SiO2 substrate to adsorb impurities from graphene before transferring it onto the final substrate. Optical microscopy and Raman mapping confirmed the adhesion of impurities to the temporary substrate, leading to a clean graphene/substrate interface. The retransferred graphene shows a reduction in electron-hole asymmetry and sheet resistance compared to conventionally transferred graphene, as confirmed by the transmission line model (TLM) and Hall effect measurements (HEMs). These results indicate that only the substrate effects remain in action in the retransferred graphene, and most of the effects of the impurities are eliminated. Overall, the modified transfer process is a promising method for obtaining high-quality graphene suitable for industrial-scale utilization in electronic devices.

Charge Transport in UV-Oxidized Graphene and Its Dependence on the Extent of Oxidation.

Graphene oxides with different degrees of oxidation are prepared by controlling UV irradiation on graphene, and the charge transport and the evolution of the transport gap are investigated according to the extent of oxidation. With increasing oxygenous defect density nD, a transition from ballistic to diffusive conduction occurs at nD≃1012 cm-2 and the transport gap grows in proportion to nD. Considering the potential fluctuation related to the e-h puddle, the bandgap of graphene oxide is deduced to be Eg≃30nD(1012cm-2) meV. The temperature dependence of conductivity showed metal-insulator transitions at nD≃0.3×1012 cm-2, consistent with Ioffe-Regel criterion. For graphene oxides at nD≥4.9×1012 cm-2, analysis indicated charge transport occurred via 2D variable range hopping conduction between localized sp2 domain. Our work elucidates the transport mechanism at different extents of oxidation and supports the possibility of adjusting the bandgap with oxygen content.

Doping effect in graphene-graphene oxide interlayer.

Interlayer coupling in graphene-based van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures plays a key role in determining and modulating their physical properties. Hence, its influence on the optical and electronic properties cannot be overlooked in order to promote various next-generation applications in electronic and opto-electronic devices based on the low-dimensional materials. Herein, the optical and electrical properties of the vertically stacked large area heterostructure of the monolayer graphene transferred onto a monolayer graphene oxide film are investigated. An effective and stable p-doping property of this structure is shown by comparison to that of the graphene device fabricated on a silicon oxide substrate. Through Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations of the charge transport characteristics, it is found that graphene is affected by sustainable p-doping effects induced from underneath graphene oxide even though they have weak interlayer interactions. This finding can facilitate the development of various fascinating graphene-based heterostructures and extend their practical applications in integrated devices with advanced functionalities.