Abstract
Intercalation experiments on epitaxial graphene are attracting a lot of attention at present as a tool to further boost the electronic properties of 2D graphene. In this work, we studied the intercalation of Pb using buffer layers on 6H-SiC(0001) by means of electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy and in situ surface transport. Large-area intercalation of a few Pb monolayers succeeded via surface defects. The intercalated Pb forms a characteristic striped phase and leads to formation of almost charge neutral graphene in proximity to a Pb layer. The Pb intercalated layer consists of 2 ML and shows a strong structural corrugation. The epitaxial heterostructure provides an extremely high conductivity of mS/□. However, at low temperatures (70 K), we found a metal-insulator transition that we assign to the formation of minigaps in epitaxial graphene, possibly induced by a static distortion of graphene following the corrugation of the interface layer.
Highlights
The outstanding optical and electronic properties of graphene were intensively studied in the past [1,2]
Epitaxial graphene grown by sublimation on SiC is an interesting system
We have comprehensively studied the intercalation of Pb on buffer layer (BL) structures on SiC(0001)
Summary
The outstanding optical and electronic properties of graphene were intensively studied in the past [1,2]. The level of complexity comprises the assembly of various 2D materials, e.g., to realize superconducting graphene and design new quantum materials [3,4,5]. The intercalation of elements is a versatile technique to adjust the properties of 2D materials [6]. In this respect, epitaxial graphene grown by sublimation on SiC is an interesting system. With the exception of a few elements, e.g., H and Sn, the intercalation process happens through open edges of graphene [12,13]. Intermediate doping scenarios were realized, e.g., by means of
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