Potassium-doped nano graphene as an intermediate layer for graphene electronics

Abstract

To suppress the intrinsic carrier density and increase the carrier mobility in graphene on a silicon dioxide (SiO2) substrate, potassium (K)-doped nano graphene was introduced as an intermediate layer between the graphene layer and SiO2 substrate. Back-gate type graphene field effect transistors with four terminal structures were fabricated, and their electrical properties were measured under vacuum. The results showed that the Dirac point shifted from +9.0 to −0.2 V after inserting the K-doped nano graphene. The results suggested that inserting the intermediate layer compensated for the intrinsic holes and achieved an electron doping of 2 × 1012 cm−2. The field-effect mobilities of electrons and holes also increased because the ionized K-atoms in the intermediate layer shielded the electric force from the negatively charged impurities in SiO2. The K density was estimated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to be 1.49 × 1013 cm−2, and the C1s peak shifted by 0.2 eV, which confirms the upward modulation of the graphene Fermi level by the K-doped nano graphene intermediate layer. These results demonstrated the advantages of the intermediate layer on the carrier density and mobility in graphene.