Olga Kazakova

Towards a quantum resistance standard based on epitaxial graphene.

The quantum Hall effect allows the international standard for resistance to be defined in terms of the electron charge and Plancks constant alone. The effect comprises the quantization of the Hall resistance in two-dimensional electron systems in rational fractions of R(K) = h/e(2) = 25,812.807557(18) Omega, the resistance quantum. Despite 30 years of research into the quantum Hall effect, the level of precision necessary for metrology--a few parts per billion--has been achieved only in silicon and iii-v heterostructure devices. Graphene should, in principle, be an ideal material for a quantum resistance standard, because it is inherently two-dimensional and its discrete electron energy levels in a magnetic field (the Landau levels) are widely spaced. However, the precisions demonstrated so far have been lower than one part per million. Here, we report a quantum Hall resistance quantization accuracy of three parts per billion in monolayer epitaxial graphene at 300 mK, four orders of magnitude better than previously reported. Moreover, by demonstrating the structural integrity and uniformity of graphene over hundreds of micrometres, as well as reproducible mobility and carrier concentrations across a half-centimetre wafer, these results boost the prospects of using epitaxial graphene in applications beyond quantum metrology.We report the first observation of the quantum Hall effect in epitaxial graphene. The result described in the submitted manuscript fills the yawning gap in the understanding of the electronic properties of this truly remarkable material and demonstrate suitability of the silicon carbide technology for manufactiring large area high quality graphene. Having found the quantum Hall effect in several devices produced on distant parts of a single large-area wafer, we can confirm that material synthesized on the Si-terminated face of SiC promises a suitable platform for the implementations of quantum resistance metrology at elevated temperatures and, in the longer term, opens bright prospects for scalable electronics based on graphene.

Standardization of surface potential measurements of graphene domains

We compare the three most commonly used scanning probe techniques to obtain a reliable value of the work function in graphene domains of different thickness. The surface potential (SP) of graphene is directly measured in Hall bar geometry via a combination of electrical functional microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, which enables calibrated work function measurements of graphene domains in ambient conditions with values Φ1LG ~4.55 ± 0.02 eV and Φ2LG ~ 4.44 ± 0.02 eV for single- and bi-layer, respectively. We demonstrate that frequency-modulated Kelvin probe force microscopy (FM-KPFM) provides more accurate measurement of the SP than amplitude-modulated (AM)-KPFM. The discrepancy between experimental results obtained by different techniques is discussed. In addition, we use FM-KPFM for contactless measurements of the specific components of the device resistance. We show a strong non-Ohmic behavior of the electrode-graphene contact resistance and extract the graphene channel resistivity.

Mapping of Local Electrical Properties in Epitaxial Graphene Using Electrostatic Force Microscopy

Local electrical characterization of epitaxial graphene grown on 4H-SiC(0001) using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) in ambient conditions and at elevated temperatures is presented. EFM provides a straightforward identification of graphene with different numbers of layers on the substrate where topographical determination is hindered by adsorbates. Novel EFM spectroscopy has been developed measuring the EFM phase as a function of the electrical DC bias, establishing a rigorous way to distinguish graphene domains and facilitating optimization of EFM imaging.

Single Crystalline Ge1-xMnx Nanowires as Building Blocks for Nanoelectronics

Magnetically doped Si and Ge nanowires have potential application in future nanowire spin-based devices. Here, we report a supercritical fluid method for producing single crystalline Mn-doped Ge nanowires with a Mn-doping concentration of between 0.5-1.0 atomic % that display ferromagnetism above 300 K and a superior performance with respect to the hole mobility of around 340 cm(2)/Vs, demonstrating the potential of using these nanowires as building blocks for electronic devices.

Detection of single magnetic nanobead with a nano-superconducting quantum interference device

We report the use of an ultralow noise nano-superconducting quantum interference device (nanoSQUID) to measure the hysteretic magnetization behavior of a single FePt nanobead at a temperature of around 7 K in a magnetic field of only ∼10 mT. We also show that the nanobead can be accurately positioned with respect to the SQUID loop and then removed without affecting SQUID performance. This system is capable of further development with wide applications in nanomagnetism.We report the use of an ultralow noise nano-superconducting quantum interference device (nanoSQUID) to measure the hysteretic magnetization behavior of a single FePt nanobead at a temperature of around 7 K in a magnetic field of only ∼10 mT. We also show that the nanobead can be accurately positioned with respect to the SQUID loop and then removed without affecting SQUID performance. This system is capable of further development with wide applications in nanomagnetism.

Optimization of 2DEG InAs/GaSb Hall Sensors for Single Particle Detection

Magnetic sensors having high spatial and stray field resolutions are key elements in many biomedical applications. One promising magnetic detector is a microsized Hall sensor. We present our first results in realising a measurement system based on a Hall sensor made of an asymmetric 2DEG InAs/GaSb-based heterostructure. The work aims to investigate magnetotransport properties of such Hall sensors and optimize their performance. In particular, we focus on examining noise characteristics of the sensor as it allows us to determine and improve the device sensitivity. We show that in investigated devices a magnetic field sensitivity of better than 0.5 mu T/Hz1/2 (corresponding to a magnetization detection threshold of 2times105 muB/Hz1/2) should be readily achievable at room temperature and at a frequency of around 3 kHz.

Small epitaxial graphene devices for magnetosensing applications

Hall sensors with the width range from 0.5 to 20.0 mu m have been fabricated out of a monolayer graphene epitaxially grown on SiC. The sensors have been studied at room temperature using transport and noise spectrum measurements. The minimum detectable field of a typical 10-mu m graphene sensor is approximate to 2.5 mu T/root Hz, making them comparable with state of the art semiconductor devices of the same size and carrier concentration and superior to devices made of CVD graphene. Relatively high resistance significantly restricts performance of the smallest 500-nm devices. Carrier mobility is strongly size dependent, signifying importance of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the optimization of the device performance

Thickness-Dependent Hydrophobicity of Epitaxial Graphene

This article addresses the much debated question whether the degree of hydrophobicity of single-layer graphene (1LG) is different from that of double-layer graphene (2LG). Knowledge of the water affinity of graphene and its spatial variations is critically important as it can affect the graphene properties as well as the performance of graphene devices exposed to humidity. By employing chemical force microscopy with a probe rendered hydrophobic by functionalization with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS), the adhesion force between the probe and epitaxial graphene on SiC has been measured in deionized water. Owing to the hydrophobic attraction, a larger adhesion force was measured on 2LG Bernal-stacked domains of graphene surfaces, thus showing that 2LG is more hydrophobic than 1LG. Identification of 1LG and 2LG domains was achieved through Kelvin probe force microscopy and Raman spectral mapping. Approximate values of the adhesion force per OTS molecule have been calculated through contact area analysis. Furthermore, the contrast of friction force images measured in contact mode was reversed to the 1LG/2LG adhesion contrast, and its origin was discussed in terms of the likely water depletion over hydrophobic domains as well as deformation in the contact area between the atomic force microscope tip and 1LG.

Express Optical Analysis of Epitaxial Graphene on SiC: Impact of Morphology on Quantum Transport

We show that inspection with an optical microscope allows surprisingly simple and accurate identification of single and multilayer graphene domains in epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide (SiC/G) and is informative about nanoscopic details of the SiC topography, making it ideal for rapid and noninvasive quality control of as-grown SiC/G. As an illustration of the power of the method, we apply it to demonstrate the correlations between graphene morphology and its electronic properties by quantum magneto-transport.

Identification of epitaxial graphene domains and adsorbed species in ambient conditions using quantified topography measurements

We discuss general limitations of topographical studies of epitaxial graphene in ambient conditions, in particular, when an accurate determination of the layers thickness is required. We demonstrat ...