Raman spectroscopy and imaging of graphene

TL;DR

This paper reviews how Raman spectroscopy and imaging are used to analyze graphene's properties, including layer determination, effects of substrates, and strain, aiding in nano-electronic applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in Raman techniques applied to graphene, including new insights into substrate effects and strain analysis.

Findings

Raman spectroscopy effectively determines graphene layer number.

Interference enhancement explains strong Raman signals in single-layer graphene.

Epitaxial graphene exhibits strong compressive strain on SiC substrates.

Abstract

Graphene has many unique properties that make it an ideal material for fundamental studies as well as for potential applications. Here we review the recent results on the Raman spectroscopy and imaging of graphene. Raman spectroscopy and imaging can be used as a quick and unambiguous method to determine the number of graphene layers. Following, the strong Raman signal of single layer graphene compared to graphite is explained by an interference enhancement model. We have also studied the effect of substrates, the top layer deposition, the annealing process, as well as folding (stacking order) on the physical and electronic properties of graphene. Finally, Raman spectroscopy of epitaxial graphene grown on SiC substrate is presented and strong compressive strain on epitaxial graphene is observed. The results presented here are closely related to the application of graphene on nano-electronic device and help on the better understanding of physical and electronic properties of graphene.