Morphology and flexibility of graphene and few-layer graphene on various substrates

TL;DR

This study uses microscopy to analyze how graphene and few-layer graphene conform to various semiconductor substrates, revealing substrate influence on morphology and the presence of resist residues post-lithography.

Contribution

It demonstrates the ability to prepare and analyze graphene on diverse semiconductor substrates, expanding understanding of substrate effects on graphene morphology.

Findings

Graphene conforms to substrate texture regardless of doping or roughness.

Resist residues remain on graphene after lithography.

Substrate type influences graphene morphology.

Abstract

We report on detailed microscopy studies of graphene and few-layer-graphene produced by mechanical exfoliation on various semi-conducting substrates. We demonstrate the possibility to prepare and analyze graphene on (001)-GaAs, manganese p-doped (001)-GaAs and InGaAs substrates. The morphology of graphene on these substrates was investigated by scanning electron and atomic force microscopy and compared to layers on silicon oxide. It was found that graphene sheets strongly follow the texture of the sustaining substrates independent on doping, polarity or roughness. Furthermore resist residues exist on top of graphene after a lithographic step. The obtained results provide the opportunity to research the graphene-substrate interactions.