Hae-geun Jee

Pentacene as protection layers of graphene on SiC surfaces

We report that pentacene can be used as a protection layer of graphene using synchrotron radiation-based photoemission spectroscopy. When pentacene was deposited on a single layer graphene, molecular states of pentacene were clearly observed, yet no change in the band structure of graphene could be identified. Unique electronic properties of graphene can be preserved in the presence of pentacene layers, and this finding can be exploited for fundamental research as well as application of graphene in electronic devices. After exposing the pentacene-covered graphene to air followed by a subsequent annealing under vacuum, band structure of graphene was completely maintained.

Patterning of self-assembled pentacene nanolayers by extreme ultraviolet-induced three-dimensional polymerization.

Most researchers expect extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) to be used to create patterns below 32 nm in semiconductor devices. An ultrathin EUV photoresist (PR) layer a few nanometers thick is required to further reduce the minimum feature size. Here, we show for the first time that pentacene molecular layers can be employed as a new EUV resist. Nanometer-scale dots and lines have been successfully realized using the new molecular resist. We clearly show the mechanism that forms the nanopatterns using a scanning photoemission microscope, EUV interference lithography, an atomic force microscope, and photoemission spectroscopy. The molecular PR has several advantages over traditional polymer EUV PRs. For example, it has high thermal/chemical stability, negligible outgassing, the ability to control the height and width on the nanometer scale, fewer residuals, no need for a chemical development process and thus a reduction of chemical waste when making nanopatterns. Besides, it can be applied to any substrate to which pentacene bonds chemically, such as SiO2, SiN, and SiON, which are important films in the semiconductor device industry.