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Type: 
Journal
Description: 
During the graphitization of polar SiC (0001) surfaces through thermal decomposition, a strongly bound carbon-rich layer forms at the graphene/SiC interface. This layer is responsible for the system's high electron-doping and contributes to the degradation of the electrical properties of the overlying graphene. In this study, with the aid of photoelectron spectroscopy, low-energy electron microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and the density functional theory, we show that if the graphitization process starts from the nonpolar (11 2 0) and (1 1 00) surfaces instead, no buffer layer is formed. We correlate this direct growth of quasi-free-standing graphene over the substrate with the inhibited formation of tetrahedral bonds between the nonpolar surface and the carbon monolayer.
Publisher: 
American Physical Society
Publication date: 
7 Aug 2013
Authors: 

M Ostler, I Deretzis, S Mammadov, F Giannazzo, G Nicotra, C Spinella, Th Seyller, A La Magna

Biblio References: 
Volume: 88 Issue: 8 Pages: 085408
Origin: 
Physical Review B