Preserving the 7 × 7 surface reconstruction of clean Si(111) by graphene adsorption
Abstract
We employ room-temperature ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy and ab-initio calculations to study graphene flakes that were adsorbed onto the Si(111)–7 × 7 surface. The characteristic 7 × 7 reconstruction of this semiconductor substrate can be resolved through graphene at all scanning biases, thus indicating that the atomistic configuration of the semiconducting substrate is not altered upon graphene adsorption. Large-scale ab-initio calculations confirm these experimental observations and point to a lack of chemical bonding among interfacial graphene and silicon atoms. Our work provides insight into atomic-scale chemistry between graphene and highly reactive surfaces, directing future passivation and chemical interaction work in graphene-based heterostructures.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Aug 17, 2015
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.4928930
Entities
People
- Cedric M. Horvath
- Joseph W Lyding
- Joshua D. Wood
- Justin C. Koepke
- Salvador Barraza-lopez
Organizations
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research
- University of Arkansas
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign