Low-frequency noise as a probe of microscopic disorder in CVD-grown graphene

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that low-frequency resistance noise in CVD-grown graphene is significantly higher than in exfoliated graphene, serving as a sensitive indicator of microscopic disorder and defect-related dynamics.

Contribution

It reveals that 1/f noise magnitude correlates with structural imperfections in CVD graphene, offering a new method for assessing material quality.

Findings

Higher 1/f noise in CVD graphene compared to exfoliated graphene

Temperature-dependent noise indicates thermally activated defect dynamics

Low-frequency noise can serve as a probe for microscopic disorder

Abstract

We report a detailed investigation of low-frequency resistance fluctuations (1/f noise) in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown graphene. Systematic measurements reveal that the magnitude of 1/f noise in CVD-grown graphene is significantly higher by several orders of magnitude than that typically observed in exfoliated single-crystal graphene. This enhancement is attributed to structural imperfections such as grain boundaries and defect states within the polycrystalline film. Detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the noise demonstrates that the resistance fluctuations arise from thermally activated dynamics of localized defects. These results provide key insights into the microscopic mechanism of noise in scalable graphene films and highlight the role of defect engineering in optimizing graphene for large-scale electronic applications. Our findings establish low-frequency noise as a sensitive probe of microscopic disorder in CVD graphene, providing a practical pathway for assessing material quality in scalable electronic technologies.