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The electrical transport in graphene interfaced with different ions in solution gated graphene field effect transistors (GFETs) is the subject of active studies due to its importance in sensor fabrication. Most of the developed GFET biological sensors use graphene that has been modified. The difficulty in the modification procedure and the reduction in quality of graphene that it causes are important drawbacks for applications. Therefore, we focus on GFETs based on unmodified graphene gated by aqueous solutions containing lysine amino acids. We observed that an increase in the ionic concentration of lysine in these solutions leads to a suppression of unipolar electron conductance of graphene in GFETs. This dependence is opposite to the dependence typically observed in gating solutions containing smaller atomic ions. We attribute the observed suppression to electric field screening of the graphene surface from water molecules by lysine ions which are larger and have lower charge density compared to atomic ions. This novel phenomenon leads to an overall decrease of surface charge density in molecular layers formed at the graphene interface and can be applied in GFET sensors with unmodified graphene that detect the presence and concentration of large molecules in the gating solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dependence of surface morphology of the SiC(0001) substrate on the rate with which it is heated up to the temperature of graphene growth was studied by three techniques: atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy. The study was carried out for the rates of substrates heating ranging from 100 °C/min to 320 °C/min. As a result, it was found out that both the width of the terraces forming on the surface of SiC substrate and the uniformity of the graphene layers covering these terraces significantly depend on the applied rate of the heating. It was also shown that the most homogeneous monolayer graphene with the minimum of double-layers inclusions is formed if the rate of SiC heating is about 250 °C/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The buffer layer samples grown on the Si-face of the 4H- and 6H-SiC substrates were heated in a hydrogen flow at different temperatures (600–900 °C) and heating times (40–60 min) in order to obtain quasi-freestanding monolayer graphene. Their structural properties were characterized before and after heating by using the methods of Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy, and low-energy electron diffraction. The dependence of the degree of coverage of the sample with quasi-freestanding graphene and the number of defects in the resulting films on the heating temperature was studied. As a result of optimization of the technological parameters, it is shown that the highest quality of the resulting quasi-freestanding graphene can be achieved by using the following parameters: heating time of 40 minutes and temperature of 800 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic studies of the effect of the electron concentration on the Raman spectra of single-layer graphene films have been carried out. The samples were grown by thermal destruction of the Si-face of the 4H-SiC substrate. Analysis of the results led us to the conclusion that for the correct estimation of the electron concentration and strain values in graphene using Raman spectroscopy data it is necessary to take into account the value of the Fermi velocity in the graphene layer. This conclusion is valid for graphene on any other substrate as well, since the Fermi velocity in graphene depends on the dielectric constant of the substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the effect of temperature and etching duration of the 4H-SiC (0001) surface in hydrogen on the structural perfection of graphene films grown by thermal destruction. Several technological modes have been identified that enable etching of the substrate without changing the stoichiometric composition of the surface. It has been demonstrated that pregrowth etching in hydrogen at T = 1600°C with a duration of 1 min makes it possible to obtain a more uniform and structurally perfect graphene than etching at T = 1300°C with a 30 min duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The structural and electronic characteristics of epitaxial graphene films grown by thermal decomposition of the Si face of a semi-insulating 4H-SiC substrate in an argon environment have been studied by a large set of analytical techniques. It is shown that the results of a complex study make it possible to optimize the growth parameters and develop a reliable technology for the growth of high-quality single-layer graphene films. The charge-carrier concentration in the graphene layer was within 7 × 1011-1 × 1012 cm-2, and the maximum mobility of electrons at room temperature approached 6000 cm2/(V s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is shown that the transport properties of graphitized silicon carbide are controlled by a surface graphene layer heavily doped with electrons. In weak magnetic fields and at low temperatures, a negative magnetoresistance is observed due to weak localization. A crossover in the magnetoresistance from weak localization to weak antilocalization (the latter is the manifestation of the isospin in graphene) is observed for the first time in samples of this kind at elevated temperatures. A pronounced pattern of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations is observed in strong magnetic fields (up to 30 T). This pattern demonstrated fourfold carrier spectrum degeneracy due to the double spin and double valley degeneracies. Also, the manifestation of the Berry phase is observed. The effective electron mass is estimated to be m* = 0.08m0, which is characteristic of graphene with a high carrier concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The electrical properties of GaAs nanowires grown on a 6H-SiC (0001) substrate covered with graphene single layers and bilayers are studied. The nanowires are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy, with gold as a catalyst. The electrical properties are studied by measuring and analyzing the current-voltage characteristics of single nanowires vertically grown on a substrate. Numerical simulation of the experimental current-voltage curves revealed the presence of a ~0.6-V-high Schottky barrier between the nanowires and graphene. The appearance of the barrier is due to the formation of excess arsenic at the nanowire/graphene interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The possibility in principle of the MBE (molecular-beam epitaxy) growth of GaP and InP nanowires on a SiC substrate with a graphene layer is demonstrated for the first time. InP nanowires on such a substrate have no stacking faults and possess an ideal crystallographic quality. At the same time, GaP nanowires have structural defects of the type of twins and the reversal of crystallographic phases at the top and at the base. The results of structural measurements demonstrate that the nanowires are formed in the wurtzite phase, which is not typical of bulk III-V materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of investigations of the transport properties of graphene films obtained by thermodestruction of a 4H-SiC (0001) surface in argon. The charge-carrier concentration in the graphene layer was within 7 × 10-1 × 10 cm, and the maximum mobility of electrons approached 6000 cm/(V · s). The achieved parameters of mobility are close to theoretical values calculated for graphene films with intrinsic conductivity on the Si face of SiC at Т = 300 К in the absence of intercalated hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural, chemical, and electronic properties of epitaxial graphene films grown by thermal decomposition of the Si-face of a semi-insulating 6 H-SiC substrate in an argon environment are studied by Raman spectroscopy, atomic-force microscopy, the low-energy electron diffraction method, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the carbon K edge. It is shown that the results of a systematic integrated study make it possible to optimize the growth parameters and develop a reliable technology for the growth of high-quality single-layer graphene films with a small fraction of bilayer graphene inclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of graphene layers grown by sublimation on a 6 H-SiC (000 $$\bar 1$$) substrate surface is studied by electron diffraction depending on the sublimation temperature and substrate-surface pretreatment method. It is shown that the use of polishing sublimation etching of the substrate before thermal destruction at a temperature of 1350°C on the substrate surface results in the formation of single-crystal graphene domains with graphene-lattice rotation by 30° with respect to the SiC lattice and a small fraction of amorphous domains. An increase in the temperature to 1500°C leads to the partial formation of a polycrystalline graphene phase with turbostratic structure while retaining the preferred orientation of graphene crystallites as at 1350°C. The use of pregrowth annealing before thermal destruction makes it possible to grow a graphene film with a more ordered and homogeneous structure without inclusions of amorphous and polycrystalline components. The preferred orientation of graphene domains in the film remains unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epitaxial graphene layers are produced with the aid of thermal destruction of the surface of a semi-insulating SiC substrate. Raman spectroscopy and atomic-force microscopy are employed in the study of the film homogeneity. A prototype of the gas sensor based on the films is fabricated. The device is sensitive to the NO molecules at a level of 5 ppb (five particles per billion). A possibility of the industrial application of the sensor is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method of local anodic oxidation has been used to obtain graphene-oxide regions on SiC. The change of the surface properties was confirmed by atomic-force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Experimental data were obtained on the conductivity, potential, and topography of the oxidized regions. It was shown that the oxidation leads to a rise in the surface potential. A relationship was found between oxidation parameters, such as the scanning velocity and the probe voltage. The method of local anodic oxidation was used to obtain by lithography an ~20-nm-wide nanoribbon and an ~10-nm-wide nanoconstriction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport properties of nanocarbon layers on a 6 H-SiC substrate, grown by vacuum sublimation, are studied. It is found that these layers consist of a graphene layer adjacent to the substrate and a multigraphene layer coated with a polycrystalline carbine-like phase. In this case, the magnetoresistance and Shubnikov-de-Haas oscillation curves exhibit features inherent to single-layer graphene. The resistance at low temperatures is demonstrated to increase with temperature, which also corresponds to the behavior of single-layer graphene (antilocalization). At the same time, the resistance decreased with temperature at higher temperatures, which corresponds to weak localization. We believe that the observed behavior can be explained by the parallel combination of contributions of single-layer graphene and multigraphene to the conductance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-graphene films grown by sublimation on the surface of a semi-insulating 6H_SiC substrate have been studied. It is shown that pre-growth annealing of the substrate in a quasi-closed growth cell improves the structural quality of a multi-graphene film. Ohmic contacts to the film have been fabricated, and the Hall effect has been studied at low temperatures. It is found that a 2D electron gas exists in the films. It is concluded that the conductivity of the film is determined by defects existing within the graphene layer or at the interface between the graphene film and a SiC substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multigraphene films grown by sublimation on the surface of a semi-insulating 6 H-SiC substrate have been studied. It is shown that pregrowth annealing of the substrate in a quasiclosed growth cell improves the structural quality of a multigraphene film. Ohmic contacts to the film have been fabricated, and the Hall effect has been studied at low temperatures. It is found that a 2D electron gas exists in the films. It is concluded that the conductivity of the film is determined by defects existing within the graphene layer or at the interface between the graphene film and a SiC substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of forming nanocarbon films on the SiC surface with the use of the technology employed in sublimation epitaxy of silicon carbide has been demonstrated. The temperature range for synthesis of nanocarbon films has been found. The presence in films of two-dimensional graphite crystals has been revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]