No Arabic abstract
Low-energy reflectivity of electrons from single- and multi-layer graphene is examined both theoretically and experimentally. A series of minima in the reflectivity over the energy range of 0 - 8 eV are found, with the number of minima depending on the number of graphene layers. Using first-principles computations, it is demonstrated that a free standing n-layer graphene slab produces n-1 reflectivity minima. This same result is also found experimentally for graphene supported on SiO2. For graphene bonded onto other substrates it is argued that a similar series of reflectivity minima is expected, although in certain cases an additional minimum occurs, at an energy that depends on the graphene-substrate separation and the effective potential in that space.
Point Projection Microscopy (PPM) is used to image suspended graphene using low-energy electrons (100-200eV). Because of the low energies used, the graphene is neither damaged or contaminated by the electron beam. The transparency of graphene is measured to be 74%, equivalent to electron transmission through a sheet as thick as twice the covalent radius of sp^2-bonded carbon. Also observed is rippling in the structure of the suspended graphene, with a wavelength of approximately 26 nm. The interference of the electron beam due to the diffraction off the edge of a graphene knife edge is observed and used to calculate a virtual source size of 4.7 +/- 0.6 Angstroms for the electron emitter. It is demonstrated that graphene can be used as both anode and substrate in PPM in order to avoid distortions due to strong field gradients around nano-scale objects. Graphene can be used to image objects suspended on the sheet using PPM, and in the future, electron holography.
We study the effects of low-energy electron beam irradiation up to 10 keV on graphene based field effect transistors. We fabricate metallic bilayer electrodes to contact mono- and bi-layer graphene flakes on SiO$_2$, obtaining specific contact resistivity $rho_c simeq 19 kOmega mu m^2$ and carrier mobility as high as 4000 cm$^2$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$. By using a highly doped p-Si/SiO$_2$ substrate as back gate, we analyze the transport properties of the device and the dependence on the pressure and on the electron bombardment. We demonstrate that low energy irradiation is detrimental on the transistor current capability, resulting in an increase of the contact resistance and a reduction of the carrier mobility even at electron doses as low as 30 $e^-/nm^2$. We also show that the irradiated devices recover by returning to their pristine state after few repeated electrical measurements.
Low-energy Landau levels of AB-stacked zigzag graphene ribbons in the presence of a uniform perpendicular magnetic field (textbf{B}) are investigated by the Peierls coupling tight-binding model. State energies and associated wave functions are dominated by the textbf{B}-field strength and the $k_z$-dependent interribbon interactions. The occupied valence bands are asymmetric to the unoccupied conduction bands about the Fermi level. Many doubly degenerate Landau levels and singlet curving magnetobands exist along $k_x$ and $k_z$ directions, respectively. Such features are directly reflected in density of states, which exhibits a lot of asymmetric prominent peaks because of 1D curving bands. The $k_z$-dependent interribbon interactions dramatically modify the magnetobands, such as the lift of double degeneracy, the change of state energies, and the production of two groups of curving magnetobands. They also change the characteristics of the wave functions and cause the redistribution of the charge carrier density. The $k_z$-dependent wave functions are further used to predict the selection rule of the optical transition.
Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures ---formed by stacking or growing two-dimensional (2D) crystals on top of each other--- have emerged as a new promising route to tailor and engineer the properties of 2D materials. Twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG), a simple vdW structure where the interference between two misaligned graphene lattices leads to the formation of a moire pattern, is a test bed to study the effects of the interaction and misalignment between layers, key players for determining the electronic properties of these stackings. In this chapter, we present in a pedagogical way the general theory used to describe lattice mismatched and misaligned vdW structures. We apply it to the study of tBLG in the limit of small rotations and see how the coupling between the two layers leads both to an angle dependent renormalization of graphenes Fermi velocity and appearance of low-energy van Hove singularities. The optical response of this system is then addressed by computing the optical conductivity and the dispersion relation of tBLG surface plasmon-polaritons.
The excellent electronic and mechanical properties of graphene allow it to sustain very large currents, enabling its incandescence through Joule heating in suspended devices. Although interesting scientifically and promising technologically, this process is unattainable in ambient environment, because graphene quickly oxidises at high temperatures. Here, we take the performance of graphene-based incandescent devices to the next level by encapsulating graphene with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Remarkably, we found that the hBN encapsulation provides an excellent protection for hot graphene filaments even at temperatures well above 2000 K. Unrivalled oxidation resistance of hBN combined with atomically clean graphene/hBN interface allows for a stable light emission from our devices in atmosphere for many hours of continuous operation. Furthermore, when confined in a simple photonic cavity, the thermal emission spectrum is modified by a cavity mode, shifting the emission to the visible range spectrum. We believe our results demonstrate that hBN/graphene heterostructures can be used to conveniently explore the technologically important high-temperature regime and to pave the way for future optoelectronic applications of graphene-based systems.