Electrical Transport Properties Of Graphene Research Articles

Hysteretic behavior of all CVD h-BN/graphene/h-BN heterostructure field-effect transistors by interfacial charge trap

Superior electrical transport properties of graphene field-effect transistors (FETs) can be achieved when graphene is supported by a high-quality hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) layer. The h-BN layer can serve as a high-performance insulator for a graphene channel to achieve high carrier mobility and to minimize doping effects on graphene by screening out the interaction with a gate oxide substrate. However, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown h-BN can have surface defects and impurities unlike mechanically exfoliated h-BN layers, which can result in completely different electrical transport properties of graphene FETs. In this study, we fabricated all CVD h-BN/graphene/h-BN FETs to explore how surface defects and impurities on the supporting h-BN layer can influence electrical transport properties of graphene. The presence of surface defects and impurities on the supporting h-BN layer, as revealed by Raman spectroscopy analysis, resulted in significant p-doping and hysteresis in the h-BN/graphene/h-BN FETs. Hysteresis in the FETs was induced by charge carrier trapping at the surface defects and impurities of the h-BN layer, which can be controlled by modulating a back-gate voltage. Based on the charge trapping mechanism on the surface of the h-BN, electrical charge states in all CVD h-BN/graphene/h-BN can be modulated dynamically by realizing two different resistance states (‘trap’ vs. ‘release’ states), which can be utilized as memristive devices or sensors.

Thermal annealing effect on the electrical quality of graphene/hexagonal boron nitride heterostructure devices

The development of the dry transfer method provides an abundant platform to construct various heterostructures of two-dimensional materials. However, the surface and interface cleanliness are essential to realize high electronical performance of heterostructures devices. Here, we demonstrated thermal annealing effect on the mobility and electrical transport properties of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride heterostructures devices. With different annealing temperature recipes for graphene on hexagonal boron nitride devices, we found annealing temperature at 300 °C can clean resist residual and achieve high mobility. Atomic force microscopy results also present a clean surface and small average root mean square roughness as low as 210 pm. Well defined oscillations and plateaus of electrical transport at low magnetic field indicate a high-quality graphene surface.

Temperature-dependent transport properties of graphene decorated by alkali metal adatoms (Li, K)

We report the electrical transport properties of graphene for dilute alkali metal decoration (n ∼ 2 × 1012 cm−2) at cryogenic temperatures. Upon deposition of K and Li atoms at T = 20 K, graphene devices are doped with electrons, and the charge carrier mobility is decreased. As temperature is increased, the number of electrons donated to the graphene and the number of charged scatterers are reduced, and the mobility of the metal decorated graphene is increased. This differs from the typical temperature-dependent transport in undecorated graphene, where the mobility decreases with increasing temperature. To investigate the kinetic behavior of adatoms on graphene, we estimate the hopping time of the Li and K adatoms on graphene based on the migration barrier in the low concentration regime of the metal adatoms by Density Functional Theory calculations. The calculations reveal that these adatoms are mobile even at cryogenic temperatures and become more mobile with increasing temperature, allowing for cluster formation of adatoms. This indicates that the dominant factor in the electron transport on warming is a cluster formation.

Influence of electron beam and ultraviolet irradiations on graphene field effect transistors

Electrical transport properties of graphene can be modulated by different controlled doping methods in order to make it useful for practical applications. Here we report a comparative study of electron-beam (e-beam) irradiated and ultraviolet (UV) irradiated graphene field effect transistors (FETs) for different doses and exposure times. We observed red shift in Raman spectra of graphene under e-beam irradiation which represents n-type doping while a divergent trend has been identified for UV irradiations which signify p-type doping. These results are further confirmed by the electrical transport measurements where the Dirac point shifts towards negative backgate voltage (i.e. n-type doping) upon e-beam exposure and shifted towards positive backgate voltage (i.e. p-type doping) under ultraviolet irradiation. Our approach reveals the dual characteristics of graphene FETs under these irradiation environments.

Local control of the resistivity of graphene through mechanically induced switching of a ferroelectric superlattice

We exploit nanoscale mechanically induced switching of an artificially layered ferroelectric material, used as an active substrate, to achieve the local manipulation of the electrical transport properties of graphene. In Graphene Ferroelectric Field Effect Transistors (GFeFETs), the graphene channel’s charge state is controlled by an underlying ferroelectric layer. The tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) can be used to mechanically ‘write’ nanoscale regions of the graphene channel and ‘read’ off the modulation in the transport behavior. The written features associated with the switching of ferroelectric domains remain polarized until an electrical reset operation is carried out. Our result provides a method for flexible and reversible nano-scale manipulation of the transport properties of a broad class of 2D materials.

Study of nitrogen doping of graphene via in-situ transport measurements

Here we report in-situ monitoring of electrical transport properties of graphene subjected to sequential and controlled nitrogen plasma doping. The nitrogen is presumed to be incorporated in to the carbon lattice of graphene by making covalent bonding as observed by the swinging of the sign of the thermopower from (initial) positive to (eventual) negative. Electrical transport properties for nitrogen-doped graphene are believed to be governed by the enhanced scattering due to nitrogen dopants and presence of localized states in the conduction band induced by doping. Our results are well supported by Raman and XPS results.

Grain Boundary Effect on Electrical Transport Properties of Graphene

The presence of grain boundary affects the mechanical strength, thermal dissipation, and charge transport of polycrystalline graphene flakes. There is still a debate on whether the electronic transmission is severely degraded by the grain boundary, especially between simulations and experiments. To address this issue, we performed electrical transport simulations based on π-orbital tight-binding Hamiltonian. Our results show that the intrinsic grain boundary is almost transparent for the carrier transport, but extrinsic chemical species (e.g., oxygen, hydroxyl) favor the adsorption on interdomain sites and increase the scattering substantially at the boundary region. The experiment, which shows degraded carrier transport due to grain boundary, can be plausibly explained with our theoretical results. To minimize the extrinsic effects of grain boundaries, we suggest doing electrical measurements under ultrahigh-vacuum condition after thermal annealing or applying pulsed current for desorbing the adsobates.

Ferroelectric-like SrTiO3 surface dipoles probed by graphene

The electrical transport properties of graphene are greatly influenced by its environment. Owing to its high dielectric constant, strontium titanate (STO) is expected to suppress the long-range charged impurity scattering and consequently to enhance the mobility. However, the absence of such enhancement has caused some controversies regarding the scattering mechanism. In graphene devices transferred from SiO2 to STO using a newly developed technique, we observe a moderate mobility enhancement near the Dirac point, which is the point of charge neutrality achieved by adjusting the Fermi level. While bulk STO is not known as a ferroelectric material, its surface was previously reported to exhibit an outward displacement of oxygen atoms and ferroelectric-like dipole moment. When placed on STO, graphene shows strong and asymmetric hysteresis in resistivity, which is consistent with the dipole picture associated with the oxygen displacement. The hysteretic response of the surface dipole moment diminishes the polarizability, therefore weakens the ability of STO to screen the Coulomb potential of the impurities.

Thickness-Dependent Electrical Transport Properties of Graphene

Thickness-Dependent Electrical Transport Properties of Graphene

Effect of gadolinium adatoms on the transport properties of graphene

The electrical transport properties of graphene doped with gadolinium (Gd) adatoms have been measured. The gate voltage dependence of the conductivity shows that Gd produces $n$ doping of graphene. The charged Gd ions act as scattering centers, lowering the sample mobility for both electrons and holes. The doping efficiency of Gd at 77 K reproduces theoretical predictions (0.7 electron per Gd adatom). On raising the sample temperature to even 150 K, clustering effects are observed and substantially modify the transport.

Anisotropic Electrical Transport Properties of Graphene Nanoplatelets/Pyrene Composites by Electric-Field-Assisted Thermal Annealing

Dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) with a pyrene derivative compound (1,3,6,8-tetrakis(4-t-butylphenyl)pyrene (TBPP)) in tetrahydrofuran as solvent medium is investigated. Field-emission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy demonstrated the π–π stacking interaction between the TBPP compound and the GNPs resulting in the deposition of the TBPP compound onto the exfoliated graphene sheets. We found that the electrical conductivity of the films obtained by the prepared dispersions can be activated in temperature and oriented by the application of an external electric field. We found an increase of the composite conductivity measured along the substrate with respect to the composite conductivity measured perpendicular to the substrate. This result provides an initial understanding of how electric fields can be used to control the bulk physical properties of such composites.

Electrical transport properties of graphene on SiO2 with specific surface structures

The mobility of graphene transferred on a SiO2/Si substrate is limited to ∼10 000 cm2V−1s−1. Without understanding the graphene/SiO2 interaction, it is difficult to improve the electrical transport properties. Although surface structures on SiO2 such as silanol and siloxane groups are recognized, the relation between the surface treatment of SiO2 and graphene characteristics has not yet been elucidated. This paper discusses the electrical transport properties of graphene on specific surface structures of SiO2 prepared by O2-plasma treatments and reoxidization.

Controlling the electrical transport properties of graphene by in situ metal deposition

The deposition effect of metals on graphene was studied by in situ field effect transistor (FET) measurements in high vacuum. Metals such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu) were deposited onto clean graphene surfaces, followed by FET measurements. The results show that Ag and Cu cause a shift in the Fermi level in the graphene from the Dirac point into the conduction band while Au causes a shift into the valence band. The induced carrier concentration was estimated at 2–6×1012/cm2. The shifts in the Fermi level of the graphene are explained by the different work functions of these metals.

Synthesis of isotopically-labeled graphite films by cold-wall chemical vapor deposition and electronic properties of graphene obtained from such films

We report the synthesis of isotopically-labeled graphite films on nickel substrates by using cold-wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD). During the synthesis, carbon from 12C- and 13C-methane was deposited on, and dissolved in, a nickel foil at high temperature, and a uniform graphite film was segregated from the nickel surface by cooling the sample to room temperature. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction prove the presence of a graphite film. Monolayer graphene films obtained from such isotopically-labeled graphite films by mechanical methods have electron mobility values greater than 5000 cm2·V−1·s−1 at low temperatures. Furthermore, such films exhibit the half-integer quantum Hall effect over a wide temperature range from 2 K to 200 K, implying that the graphite grown by this cold-wall CVD approach has a quality as high as highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The results from transport measurements indicate that 13C-labeling does not significantly affect the electrical transport properties of graphene.