Direct growth of graphitic carbon on Si(111)

TL;DR

This paper investigates the direct growth of graphitic carbon on Si(111) substrates, analyzing structural and electronic properties, and demonstrating the formation of graphene-like films with potential applications in silicon-based electronics.

Contribution

It presents a method for directly growing high-quality graphene on Si(111) using specific conditions, emphasizing the role of substrate temperature and buffer layers.

Findings

Graphene-like honeycomb lattice observed on Si(111)

Quality depends on substrate temperature and buffer layer

Potential for integration into silicon electronics

Abstract

Appropriate conditions for direct growth of graphitic films on Si(111) 7$\times$7 are investigated. The structural and electronic properties of the samples are studied by Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS), Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), Raman spectroscopy and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM). In particular, we present STM images of a carbon honeycomb lattice grown directly on Si(111). Our results demonstrate that the quality of graphene films formed depends not only on the substrate temperature but also on the carbon buffer layer at the interface. This method might be very promising for graphene-based electronics and its integration into the silicon technology.