Ultrafast time-resolved imaging of femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures on GaAs

We report the formation dynamics of periodic ripples on Ga As induced by femtosecond laser pulses（800 nm, 50 fs） via a collinear time-resolved imaging technique with a temporal resolution of 1 ps and a spatial resolution of 440 nm. The onset of periodic ripples emerges in the initial tens of picoseconds in the timescale of material ejection. The periodic ripples appear after irradiation of at least two pump pulses at surface defects produced by the first pulse and the ripple positions kept stable until the formation processes complete. The formation mechanisms of laser-induced periodic ripples are also discussed.     

Effect of strain on geometric and electronic structures of graphene on Ru(0001) surface

The atomic and electronic structures of a graphene monolayer on a Ru(0001) surface under compressive strain are investigated by using first-principles calculations. Three models of graphene monolayers with different carbon periodicities due to the lattice mismatch are proposed in the presence and the absence of the Ru(0001) substrate separately. Considering the strain induced by the lattice mismatch, we optimize the atomic structures and investigate the electronic properties of the graphene. Our calculation results show that the graphene layers turn into periodic corrugations and there exist strong chemical bonds in the interface between the graphene N×N superlattice and the substrate. The strain does not induce significant changes in electronic structure. Furthermore, the results calculated in the local density approximation (LDA) are compared with those obtained in the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), showing that the LDA results are more reasonable than the GGA results when only two substrate layers are used in calculation.     

Boundary graphene layer effect on surface plasmon oscillations in a quantum plasma half-space

The effect of graphene on unique features of surface plasmon-polariton excitations near the interface of vacuum and quantum plasma half-space is explored using a quantum hydrodynamic model including the Fermi electron temperature and the quantum Bohm potential together with the full set of Maxwell equations.It is found that graphene as a conductive layer significantly modifies the propagation properties of surface waves by making a change on the corresponding wave dispersion relation.It is shown that the presence of graphene layer on the interface of vacuum and plasma leads to a blue-shift in the surface Plasmon frequency.The results of present study must be contributed to the modern electronic investigations.     

Temperature dependence of the thickness and morphology of epitaxial graphene grown on SiC （0001） wafers

Epitaxial graphene is synthesized by silicon sublimation from the Si-terminated 6H–SiC substrate. The effects of graphitization temperature on the thickness and surface morphology of epitaxial graphene are investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra and atomic force microscopy images reveal that the epitaxial graphene thickness increases and the epitaxial graphene roughness decreases with the increase in graphitization temperature. This means that the thickness and roughness of epitaxial graphene films can be modulated by varying the graphitization temperature. In addition, the electrical properties of epitaxial graphene film are also investigated by Hall effect measurement.     

Sub-wavelength Ripple Formation on Silicon Induced by Femtosecond Laser Radiation

Periodic microstructures on silicon bulk axe formed by the irradiation of the femtosecond laser with the laser wavelength of 800 nm and the pulse length of 130 fs. We investigate the surface periodic ripple structures produced by femtosecond laser treatment. The effects of feedrate of sample, v, on laser-induced surface topography are studied. We find that the femtosecond laser produce periodic ripples of the sub-micron level on silicon surface. At the same time, we realize the optimal conditions to produce these surface structures. When choosing NA = 0.3, and v = 2000μm/s or 3000μm/s, we find a series of periodic-structure ripples where the spacing is about 120 nm and the width is about 45nm. The experimental results indicate that femtosecond laser treatment can produce line arrays on the sub-micron level, which is a positive factor for fabricating grating and other optical applications in nanoscales.     

Fabrication of Ti ohmic contact to n-type 6H-SiC without high-temperature annealing

The effect of surface morphology of 6H-SiC substrate on the ohmic contact properties of Ti/6H-SiC structure is studied. The H-terminated surface on Si-face 6H-SiC is obtained by both dipping SiC into HF acid solution for 15 s and thermal heating SiC in hydrogen atmosphere at 1100 C for 10 min, while the H-terminated surface on C-face 6H-SiC could be obtained only by the latter method. Ti is deposited on Si-face and C-face SiC substrates with H-terminated surfaces and ohmic contact is obtained without high-temperature annealing.     

Fabrication and characterization of graphene derived from SiC

Using novel ideas for the fabrication of epitaxial graphene(EG)on SiC,two forms of graphene termed as vertical aligned graphene sheets(VAGS)and graphene covered SiC powder(GCSP)were derived,respectively,from SiC slices and SiC powder,aimed for applications in energy storage and photocatalysis.Herein,the fabrication procedures,morphology characteristics,some intrinsic physical properties and performances for applications in field effect transistor(FET)and cold cathode field emission source are revealed and analyzed based on the graphene materials.The EG on a 2-inch SiC(0001)showed an average sheet resistance about 720/with a non-uniformity 7.2%.The FETs fabricated on the EG possessed a cutoff frequency 80GHz.Based on the VAGS derived from a completely carbonized SiC slice,a magnetic phase diagram of graphene with irregular zigzag edges is also reported.     

Visual measurement of the microscopic temperature of porous graphene based on cholesteric liquid crystal microcapsules

Measuring the microscopic temperature of graphene is challenging.We used cholesteric liquid crystal microcapsules(CLCMs)as temperature sensors to detect the local temperature of three-dimensional porous graphene through quantitative visualization.Based on a CLCM(~20μm in size),we determined the temperature variation in a small area with an accuracy of 0.1℃.By analyzing the color changes between two CLCMs,we demonstrated the temperature changes dynamically in a region with a diameter of approximately 110μm.Furthermore,by comparing the color evolution among the three CLCMs,we visualized the anisotropic thermal properties in the micro-zone.This convenient and low-cost temperature measurement method is expected to further improve graphene-based devices.     

Formation of graphene on Ru（0001） surface

We report on the formation of a graphene monolayer on a Ru(0001) surface by annealing the Ru(0001) crystal. The samples are characterized by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). STM images show that the Moir\'{e} pattern is caused by the graphene layer mismatched with the underlying Ru(0001) surface and has an $N\times N$ superlattice. It is further found that the graphene monolayer on a Ru(0001) surface is very stable at high temperatures. Our results provide a simple and convenient method to produce a graphene monolayer on the Ru(0001) surface, which is used as a template for fabricating functional nanostructures needed in future nano devices and catalysis.     

IN SITU STM STUDY OF THERMAL ANNEALING OF Au THIN FILMS:AN INVESTIGATION ON DECAY OF NANOMETER Au CLUSTERS AND 2D ISLANDS

An in situ, ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling micrmcopy(UHV STM) study of thermal annealing of gold thin films is presented in this paper. The gold thin films was heated and annealed in the UHV chamber in the temperature range From room temperature to maximum of 300℃, while a consecutive STM imaging was performed on the surface of the gold films during the heating and annealing. The STM results showed that the surface corrugation changes became more apparent after the temperature increased above 100℃, whereas much smoothened surface and large Au (111) crystalline terrace(>200nm) formed at temperature of 160℃ of above. Betides the surface morphology change, our images clearly revealed the melting of multilayer gold clusters and shrinking of monolayer gold islands in a nanometer scale. It was shown that the decay of the gold clusters and islands constitute the microscopic processes contributing to the thermal activated surface morphology change. A classical theory of mass flow kinetics was adopted in analyzing the decay processes. The results showed that surface diffusion is the dominate mechanism in the thermal annealing of the gold thin films. This study presents the first microscopic investigation of thermal annealing processes of metal thin films observed by in situ and real-time STM.     

硅晶体表面石墨烯褶皱形貌的分子动力学模拟研究

本文利用分子动力学的方法和模拟退火技术从原子尺度分析研究了Si (100), Si (111)和Si (211)表面单原子层石墨烯的褶皱形貌及其演化特点. 研究表明, 分别置于Si晶体的三种不同原子表面的石墨烯都展现出原子尺度的褶皱形貌. 石墨烯与Si晶体表面原子的晶格失配是引起石墨烯褶皱的主要原因. 研究发现, Si晶体表面石墨烯的褶皱形貌强烈的依赖于退火温度. 石墨烯的褶皱形貌还将直接影响其在Si晶体表面的吸附稳定性. 这些研究结果有助于人们认识基于Si晶体衬底的石墨烯的结构形貌及其稳定性, 为石墨烯的进一步应用提供理论参考.     

6H-SiC(0001)表面graphene逐层生长的分子动力学研究

利用经典分子动力学方法和模拟退火技术分析研究了6H-ＳiC（0001）表面graphene的逐层生长过程及其形貌结构特点．研究表明,经过高温蒸发表面硅原子后,6H-ＳiC（0001）表面的碳原子能够通过自组织过程生成稳定的局部单原子层graphene结构．这种过程类似于6H-ＳiC（0001）表面graphene的形成,其生长和结构形貌演化主要取决于退火温度和表面碳原子的覆盖程度． 研究发现,当退火温度高于1400K时,6H-ＳiC（0001）表面碳原子能形成局部的单原子层graphene结构．这一转变温 关键词： graphene 碳化硅 分子动力学     

Scanning probe microscopy investigations of the electrical properties of chemical vapor deposited graphene grown on a 6H-SiC substrate

Sublimated graphene grown on SiC is an attractive material for scientific investigations. Nevertheless the self limiting process on the Si face and its sensitivity to the surface quality of the SiC substrates may be unfavourable for later microelectronic processes. On the other hand, chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene does not posses such disadvantages, so further experimental investigation is needed. In this paper CVD grown graphene on 6H-SiC (0 0 0 1) substrate was investigated using scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Electrical properties of graphene were characterized with the use of: scanning tunnelling microscopy, conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) with locally performed C-AFM current–voltage measurements and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Based on the contact potential difference data from the KPFM measurements, the work function of graphene was estimated. We observed conductance variations not only on structural edges, existing surface corrugations or accidental bilayers, but also on a flat graphene surface.     

Si面4H-SiC衬底上外延石墨烯近平衡态制备

SiC热解法是制备大面积、高质量石墨烯的理想选择之一.外延石墨烯的晶体质量仍是制约其应用的关键因素之一.本文通过SiC热解法在4H-SiC(0001)衬底上制备单层外延石墨烯.通过引入氩气惰性气氛和硅蒸气,使SiC衬底表面的Si原子升华与返回概率接近平衡,外延石墨烯生长速率大大减慢,单层石墨烯的生长时间从15 min延长至75 min.测试分析表明,生长速率减慢,外延石墨烯中缺陷减少,晶体质量提高,使得外延石墨烯的电性能都得到改善,单层外延石墨烯的最高载流子迁移率达到1200 cm2/V·s,方阻604?/.以上结果表明,控制生长气氛,减慢生长速率是实现高质量外延石墨烯的可行途径之一.     

Isolating the step contribution to the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in nanostructured Fe/Ag(001) films

We have investigated the possibility of isolating the step-induced in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in Fe/Ag(001) films on which nanoscale surface ripples were fabricated by the ion sculpting technique. For rippled Fe films deposited on flat Ag(001), the steps created along the ripple sidewalls are shown to be the only source of uniaxial anisotropy. Ion sculpting of ultrathin magnetic films allows one to selectively study the step-induced anisotropy and to investigate the correlation between local atomic environment and magnetic properties.     

Periodically rippled graphene: growth and spatially resolved electronic structure

We grow epitaxial graphene monolayers on Ru(0001) that cover uniformly the substrate over lateral distances larger than several microns. The weakly coupled graphene monolayer is periodically rippled and it shows charge inhomogeneities in the charge distribution. Real space measurements by scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveal the existence of electron pockets at the higher parts of the ripples, as predicted by a simple theoretical model. We also visualize the geometric and electronic structure of edges of graphene nanoislands.     

Evidence of structural strain in epitaxial graphene layers on 6H-SiC(0001)

The early stages of epitaxial graphene layer growth on the Si-terminated 6H-SiC (0001) are investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and depolarized Raman spectroscopy. The selection of the depolarized component of the scattered light results in a significant increase in the C-C bond signal over the second order SiC Raman signal, which allows us to resolve submonolayer growth, including individual, localized C=C dimers in a diamondlike carbon matrix for AES C/Si ratio of approximately 3, and a strained graphene layer with delocalized electrons and Dirac single-band dispersion for AES C/Si ratio >6. The linear strain, measured at room temperature, is found to be compressive, which can be attributed to the large difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion of graphene and SiC. The magnitude of the compressive strain can be varied by adjusting the growth time at fixed annealing temperature.     

Significant photoelectrical response of epitaxial graphene grown on Si-terminated 6H-SiC

Photoelectrical response characteristics of epitaxial graphene (EG) films on Si- and C-terminated 6H-SiC, and transferred chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene films on Si-terminated 6H-SiC have been investigated. The results show that upon illumination by a xenon lamp, the photocurrent of EG grown on Si-terminated SiC significantly increases by 147.6%, while the photocurrents of EG grown on C-terminated SiC, and transferred CVD graphene on Si-terminated SiC slightly decrease by 0.5% and 2.7%, respectively. The interfacial buffer layer between EG and Si-terminated 6H-SiC is responsible for the significant photoelectrical response of EG. Its strong photoelectrical response makes it promising for optoelectronic applications.     

Methane molecule over the defected and rippled graphene sheet

Adsorption of a methane molecule (CH₄) onto a defected and rippled graphene sheet is studied using ab initio and molecular mechanics calculations. The optimal adsorption position and orientation of this molecule on the graphene surface (motivated by the recent realization of graphene sensors to detect individual gas molecules) is determined and the adsorption energies are calculated. In light of the density of states, we used the SIESTA code. It is found that (i) classical force field yields adsorption energy comparable with experimental result and ab initio calculation; (ii) the periodic nature of the van der Waals potential energy stored between methane and perfect sheet is altered due to the insertion vacancies and sinusoidal ripples; (iii) the van der Waals potential energy is found to be sensitive to the presence of the vacancies and the ripples so that the added molecule avoids to be around vacant cites and on top of the peaks.