Strain Effects on Electrical Properties of Suspended Graphene

Graphene is an extraordinary material which shows tremendous potential as a replacement for silicon in many electronic applications. However, one major drawback to graphene is its zero band gap. Previous research in tight binding models have predicted band gap opening in graphene under tensile strain. New experimental tight binding models were formulated and compared to previous models in order to determine the strains necessary to induce a band gap in graphene. Using CVD graphene, a transfer method and etching method were successfully devised in order to fabricate future graphene devices. These devices were conceptualized such that they could be strained in order to experimentally confirm band gap openings. Future work will consist of further perfecting the graphene fabrication techniques and performing electrical testing on CVD graphene devices which could have wide ranging transistor and sensor applications