ELECTRON DIFFRACTION STUDY OF GRAPHENE LAYERS STRUCTURE ON CONDUCTIVE AND SEMI-INSULATING 6H-SIC (0001) SUBSTRATES

Kotousova Irina S., Lebedev Sergei P., Lebedev Alexander A

2015 , VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2 ( MARCH-APRIL )

ISSN 2226-1494 (print), ISSN 2500-0373 (online)

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Nikiforov
Vladimir O.
D.Sc., Prof.

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doi: 10.17586/2226-1494-2015-15-2-260-266

ELECTRON DIFFRACTION STUDY OF GRAPHENE LAYERS STRUCTURE ON CONDUCTIVE AND SEMI-INSULATING 6H-SIC (0001) SUBSTRATES

I. S. Kotousova, S. P. Lebedev, A. A. Lebedev

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Article in Russian

For citation: Kotousova I.S., Lebedev S.P., Lebedev A.A. Electron diffraction study of graphene layers structure on conductive and semiinsulating 6H-SIC(0001) substrates. Scientific and Technical Journal of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, 2015, vol.15, no. 2, pp. 260–266.

Abstract

Subject of study. Findings for the surface structure of conductive and semi-insulating substrates 6H-SiC(0001) and epitaxial graphene layers grown on them are presented.
Materials and methods. We used two types of silicon carbide substrates of 6H polytype as a substrate: conductive (with resistivity less than 103 Ohm·cm), and semi-insulating (with resistivity greater than 105 Ohm·cm). Synthesis of graphene layers on substrates was carried out by thermal decomposition of SiC surface at the temperature of 1350ºC for 20 minutes in a vacuum sublimation epitaxy setup. Registration of high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns for reflection was carried out using two devices: electronograph EMR-102 at an accelerating voltage of 75 kV and electron diffractometer, built into the unit MBE Compact 21T (Riber France), at an accelerating voltage of 30 kV.
Main results. The oriented growth of graphene is observed on the conductive substrate. Both oriented and disordered kinds of graphene grow on the semi-insulating substrate due to the partially formation of the polycrystalline component in the multilayered graphene film which in turn is caused by the lower perfection structure of the semi-insulating substrate surface as compared to the conductive one.
Practical significance. Proposed findings will help to understand the quality dependence of the grown graphene film on the structure of the used silicon carbide substrate.

Keywords: reflected high-energy electron diffraction, SiC, thermal decomposition, graphene.

Acknowledgements. Proposed findings will help to understand the quality dependence of the grown graphene film on the structure of the used silicon carbide substrate.

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