Oriented Graphene Nanoribbons Embedded in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Trenches

Abstract

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are ultra-narrow strips of graphene that have the potential to be used in high-performance graphene-based semiconductor electronics. However, controlled growth of GNRs on dielectric substrates remains a challenge. Here, we report the successful growth of GNRs directly on hexagonal boron nitride substrates with smooth edges and controllable widths using chemical vapour deposition. The approach is based on a type of template growth that allows for the in-plane epitaxy of mono-layered GNRs in nano-trenches on hexagonal boron nitride with edges following a zigzag direction. The embedded GNR channels show excellent electronic properties, even at room temperature. Such in-plane hetero-integration of GNRs, which is compatible with integrated circuit processing, creates a gapped channel with a width of a few benzene rings, enabling the development of digital integrated circuitry based on GNRs.

32 pages, 4 figures, Supplementary information

References in corpus (11)

• Electric Field Effect in Atomically Thin Carbon Films
• Energy Band Gap Engineering of Graphene Nanoribbons
• Energy Gaps in Graphene Nanoribbons
• Half-Metallic Graphene Nanoribbons
• Uniaxial Strain in Graphene by Raman Spectroscopy: G peak splitting, Gruneisen Parameters and Sample Orientation
• Graphene Nano-Ribbon Electronics
• A tight-binding approach to uniaxial strain in graphene
• STM Spectroscopy of ultra-flat graphene on hexagonal boron nitride
• Tailoring the atomic structure of graphene nanoribbons by STM lithography
• Room temperature magnetic order on zigzag edges of narrow graphene nanoribbons
• Silane-Catalyzed Fast Growth of Large Single-Crystalline Graphene on Hexagonal Boron Nitride