Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T20:26:54.709Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Thickness and Rotational Effects in Simulated HRTEM Images of Graphene on Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2014

Avery J. Green*
Affiliation:
Optical Physics Group, SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY 12203, USA
Alain C. Diebold
Affiliation:
Optical Physics Group, SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY 12203, USA
*
*Corresponding author.ajgreen@albany.edu
Get access

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that when graphene is placed on a thin hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) substrate, unlike when it is placed on a typical SiO2 surface, it can closely approach the ideal carrier mobility observed in suspended graphene samples. This study further examines the epitaxial relationship between graphene and h-BN substrate with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy simulation. Virtual monolayer and multilayer stacks of h-BN were produced with a monolayer of graphene on top, on bottom, and in between h-BN layers, in order to study this interface. Once the simulations were performed, the phase contrast image and Moiré pattern created by this heterostack were analyzed for local and global intensity minima and maxima. In addition, h-BN substrate thickness and rotations between h-BN and graphene were probed and analyzed. The simulated images produced in this work will be used to help understand subsequent transmission electron microscopy images and electron energy-loss studies.

Type
Materials Applications
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Castro Neto, A.H., Guinea, F., Peres, N.M.R., Novoselov, K.S. & Geim, A.K. (2009). The electronic properties of graphene. Rev Mod Phys 81, 109162.Google Scholar
Cowley, J.M. & Moodie, A.F. (1957). The scattering of electrons by atoms and crystals. I. A new theoretical approach. Acta Cryst 10, 609619.Google Scholar
Dean, C.R., Young, A.F., Meric, I., Lee, C., Wang, L., Sorgenfrei, S., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., Kim, P., Shepard, K.L. & Hone, J. (2010). Boron nitride substrates for high-quality graphene electronics. Nat Nanotech 5, 722726.Google Scholar
Decker, R., Wang, Y., Brar, V.W., Regan, W., Tsai, H., Wu, Q., Gannett, W., Zettl, A. & Crommie, M.F. (2011). Local electric properties of graphene on a BN substrate via scanning tunneling microscopy. Nano Lett 11, 22912295.Google Scholar
Eckmann, A., Park, J., Yang, H., Elias, D., Mayorov, A.S., Yu, G., Jalil, R., Novoselov, K.S., Gorbachev, R.V., Lazzeri, M., Geim, A.K. & Casiraghi, C. (2013). Raman fingerprint of aligned graphene/h-BN superlattices. Nano Lett 13, 52425246.Google Scholar
Geim, A.K. & Novoselov, K.S. (2007). The rise of graphene. Nat Mat 6, 183191.Google Scholar
Ishigami, M., Chen, J.H., Cullen, W.G., Fuhrer, M.S. & Williams, E.D. (2007). Atomic structure of graphene on SiO2 . Nano Lett 7, 16431648.Google Scholar
Kilaas, R. (2013). CrystalKitX computer program. Version 1.9.81. Berkeley, CA: Total Resolution. Accompanied by 1 manual.Google Scholar
Kilaas, R. (2013). MacTempasX computer program. Version 2.3.40. Berkeley, CA: Total Resolution. Accompanied by 1 manual.Google Scholar
Kubota, Y., Watanabe, K., Tsuda, O. & Taniguchi, T. (2007). Deep ultraviolet light-emitting hexagonal boron nitride synthesized at atmospheric pressure. Science 317, 932934.Google Scholar
Lui, C.H., Liu, L., Mak, K.F., Flynn, G.W. & Heinz, T.F. (2009). Ultraflat graphene. Nature 462, 339341.Google Scholar
Meyer, J.C., Kisielowski, C., Erni, R., Rossell, M.D., Crommie, M.F. & Zettl, A. (2008). Direct imaging of lattice atoms and topological defects in graphene membranes. Nano Lett 8, 35823586.Google Scholar
Nelson, F. (2012). Study of the dielectric function of graphene from spectroscopic ellipsometry and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Doctoral dissertation. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (Accession Order No. AAT 3550002).Google Scholar
Nelson, F., Diebold, A.C. & Hull, R. (2010). Simulation study of aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging of few-layer-graphene stacking. Microsc Microanal 16, 194199.Google Scholar
Novoselov, K.S., Geim, A.K., Morozov, S.V., Jiang, D., Zhang, Y., Dubonos, S.V., Grigorieva, I.V. & Firsov, A.A. (2004). Electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films. Science 306, 666669.Google Scholar
Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T. & Kanda, H. (2004). Direct-bandgap properties and evidence for ultraviolet lasing of hexagonal boron nitride single crystal. Nat Mat 3, 404409.Google Scholar
Xue, J., Sanchez-Yamagishi, J., Bulmash, D., Jacquod, P., Deshpande, A., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., Jarillo-Herrero, P. & Leroy, B.J. (2011). Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of ultra-flat graphene on hexagonal boron nitride. Nat Mat 10, 282285.Google Scholar
Yang, W., Chen, G., Shi, Z., Liu, C., Zhang, L., Xie, G., Cheng, M., Wang, D., Yang, R., Shi, D., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., Yao, Y., Zhang, Y. & Zhang, G. (2013). Epitaxial growth of single-domain graphene on hexagonal boron nitride. Nat Mat 12, 792797.Google Scholar
Yankowitz, M., Xue, J., Cormode, D., Sanchez-Yamagishi, J.D., Watanabe, K., Taniguchi, T., Jarillo-Herrero, P., Jacquod, P. & Leroy, B.J. (2012). Emergence of superlattice Dirac points in graphene on hexagonal boron nitride. Nat Phys 8, 382386.Google Scholar
Zan, R., Bangert, U., Ramasse, Q. & Novoselov, K.S. (2011). Imaging of Bernal stacked and misoriented graphene and boron nitride: Experiment and simulation. J Microsc 244, 152158.Google Scholar