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Properties of epitaxial graphene grown on C-face SiC compared to Si-face

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Abstract

Epitaxial graphene of uniform thickness prepared on SiC is of great interest for various applications. On the Si-face, large area uniformity has been achieved, and there is a general consensus about the graphene properties. A similar uniformity has yet not been demonstrated on the C-face where the graphene has been claimed to be fundamentally different. A rotational disorder between adjacent graphene layers has been reported and suggested to explain why multilayer C-face graphene show the π-band characteristic of monolayer graphene. Utilizing low energy electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron electron microscopy, low energy electron diffraction, and photoelectron spectroscopy, we investigated the properties of C-face graphene prepared by sublimation growth. We observe the formation of micrometer-sized crystallographic grains of multilayer graphene and no rotational disorder between adjacent layers within a grain. Adjacent grains are in general found to have different azimuthal orientations. Effects on C-face graphene by hydrogen treatment and Na exposure were also investigated and are reported. Why multilayer C-face graphene exhibits single layer electronic properties is still a puzzle, however.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the European Science Foundation, within the EuroGRAPHENE (EPIGRAT) program and the Swedish Research Council (Grant No. 621-2011-4252 and Linnaeus Grant).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, SE-58183, Linköping, Sweden

    Leif I. Johansson & Chariya Virojanadara

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  1. Leif I. Johansson
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  2. Chariya Virojanadara
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Correspondence to Leif I. Johansson or Chariya Virojanadara.

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Johansson, L.I., Virojanadara, C. Properties of epitaxial graphene grown on C-face SiC compared to Si-face. Journal of Materials Research 29, 426–438 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2013.261

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