Molecular Beam Epitaxy

24MBE Growth of Graphene

J. Marcelo J. Lopes

Paul‐Drude‐Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Leibniz‐Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany

24.1 Introduction

Graphene, a single layer of sp²‐hybridized carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb‐like lattice, is certainly one of the most fascinating materials to be studied in recent decades. The rise of this two‐dimensional (2D) crystal from relative obscurity to worldwide attention started in 2004, when Novoselov et al. [1] successfully isolated graphene by mechanical exfoliation of graphite and investigated its electronic transport properties. This and other works [2–4] triggered such extensive and fruitful research on graphene that in 2010 Novoselov and Geim from the University of Manchester were honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics [5].

The unique electronic nature of graphene is certainly the main reason for making this material so attractive [ 1– 5]. The ballistic transport and very high carrier mobility, reaching values higher than 10⁵ cm² (V s)⁻¹ even at room temperature [6], as well as the ambipolar field effect, meaning that both electrons and holes can be used to achieve an efficient electric conduction [ 1,3, 4], are some of the properties particularly appealing for future applications in nanoelectronics [7]. Beyond a single atomic layer, it has been observed by different groups that a stacking of a few graphene layers can also exhibit unique properties. For instance, the possibility of switching a bi‐ or trilayer‐thick ...