CVD Synthesis of Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons on Ge/Si(001)

Abstract

Bottom-up synthesis of graphene nanoribbons on semiconducting, CMOS-compatible substrates is a promising and scalable route to exploiting graphene in next-generation nanoelectronics. In this study we demonstrate synthesis of semiconducting, graphene nanoribbons on Ge/Si(001) substrates, using CVD. We study the growth evolution and kinetics of nanoribbons and show that by tailoring the partial pressure of growth precursor, highly anisotropic, self-defining, and oriented nanoribbons with aspect ratio > 50 and smooth armchair edges can be synthesized, while avoiding bulk Si diffusion. We also investigate the presence of threading dislocations and show that neither nanoribbon nucleation nor growth is sensitive to presence or location of these dislocations. Our results indicate that Ge/Si(001) can be a promising platform for synthesis and fabrication of graphene nanoribbon devices.