Intercalation of graphene on SiC(0001) via ion-implantation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel ion-implantation method to intercalate Bi atoms into epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001), enabling advanced graphene device fabrication and functionalization at the nanoscale.

Contribution

It presents a new ion-implantation procedure for graphene functionalization on SiC(0001), demonstrating intercalation of Bi atoms which was not achievable with standard methods.

Findings

Successful intercalation of Bi atoms into graphene on SiC(0001)

Ion-beam lithography enables nanostructuring and functionalization of graphene

Potential for fabricating complex graphene electronic chips

Abstract

Electronic devices based on graphene technology are catching on rapidly and the ability to engineer graphene properties at the nanoscale is becoming, more than ever, indispensable. Here, we present a new procedure of graphene functionalization on SiC(0001) that paves the way towards the fabrication of complex graphene electronic chips. The procedure resides on the well-known ion-implantation technique. The efficiency of the working principle is demonstrated by the intercalation of the epitaxial graphene layer on SiC(0001) with Bi atoms, which was not possible following standard procedures. Our results put forward the ion-beam lithography to nanostructure and functionalize desired graphene chips.