In monolayer graphene, substitutional doping during growth can be used to alter its electronic properties. We used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), Raman spectroscopy, x-ray spectroscopy, and first principles calculations to characterize individu
al nitrogen dopants in monolayer graphene grown on a copper substrate. Individual nitrogen atoms were incorporated as graphitic dopants, and a fraction of the extra electron on each nitrogen atom was delocalized into the graphene lattice. The electronic structure of nitrogen-doped graphene was strongly modified only within a few lattice spacings of the site of the nitrogen dopant. These findings show that chemical doping is a promising route to achieving high-quality graphene films with a large carrier concentration.
We present scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of single-layer graphene crystals examined under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The samples, with lateral dimensions on the micron scale, were prepared on a silicon dioxide surface by direct exfolia
tion of single crystal graphite. The single-layer films were identified using Raman spectroscopy. Topographic images of single-layer samples display the honeycomb structure expected for the full hexagonal symmetry of an isolated graphene monolayer. The absence of observable defects in the STM images is indicative of the high quality of these films. Crystals comprised of a few layers of graphene were also examined. They exhibited dramatically different STM topography, displaying the reduced three-fold symmetry characteristic of the surface of bulk graphite.
