Graphene micro-and nano-ribbons fabricated by atomic force microscopy

Máster en Materiales Nanoestructurados para Aplicaciones Nanotecnológicas (Nanostructured Materials for Nanotechnology Applications).Nowadays, nanotechnology’s challenge remains in the generation of functional nanostructured materials to keep up with demands in a world of continuous technological innovation. In this context, graphene has become incredibly popular for applications in nanoelectronics. Due to its electrical and spin properties, graphene is being considered as a revolutionary material for nanoscale applications in electronic devices and sensors. Currently, the attention is placed in the strategies to produce graphene nanoribbons for the production of field effect transistors at room temperature. However, the diverse fabrication methods still present limitations for scaling up the process. In this work, direct write Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN) was used for the fabrication of graphene ribbons reaching micrometre resolution. Initially, a polystyrene ink was used as a physical mask to create patterns on epitaxial graphene by DPN. The remaining graphene was removed through a controlled oxygen plasma etching, either by a conventional technique or by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Finally, the process concluded with a wet etching to remove the remaining PS patterns. In this last step, different conditions were tested to study which provided the best results for the scope of the work. The performance of the process was evaluated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) at ambient conditions while the quality of the remaining graphene was studied by Raman Spectroscopy and by the analysis of electrical conductivity in a Dual Beam equipment. As mentioned, the process has reached micrometre resolution which is a promising scenario to scale down to the nanometre resolution.Peer reviewe