Synthesis of Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons on Ge and Ge/Si via Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract

Graphene nanoribbons are promising materials for semiconductor electronics due to their atomic thickness and their potential to be exceptional charge and thermal conductors. However, challenges in nanoribbon production have limited their applicability. We have recently developed a scalable, bottom-up technique to synthesize semiconducting graphene nanoribbons directly on Ge and Ge/Si wafers via chemical vapor deposition. The nanoribbons exhibit high-performance charge transport properties and can be grown into dense, large-area arrays with controlled placement and alignment via seed-mediated growth. Therefore, this synthesis may provide a high-throughput pathway towards the practical realization of next-generation semiconductor devices based on graphene.