A Suggestion of the Graphene/Ge(111) Structure Based on Ultra-High Vacuum Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Investigation

Authors

  • A. Goriachko Department of Physical Electronics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
  • P. V. Melnik Department of Physical Electronics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
  • M. G. Nakhodkin Department of Nanophysics and Nanoelectronics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15407/ujpe61.01.0075

Keywords:

germanium, graphene, scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract

We report on the 5.5√3 × 5.5√3 − R30 ∘ overlayer superstructure observed by the scanning tunneling microscopy on the Ge(111) surface. It shows pronounced effects of the local density of states leading to the strong dependence of STM images on the bias voltage and some dynamic changes of images at 300 K. This overlayer is tentatively interpreted as graphene formed in small submonolayer amounts due to the pyrolysis of hydrocarbon constituents of the residual atmosphere of the vacuum chamber during the annealing of a Ge(111) sample at 900 K. We suggest a model of the graphene/Ge(111)-5.5√3 × 5.5√3 − R30 ∘ heteroepitaxial interface, featuring the reconstructed Ge(111) substrate with no long-range order under the graphene layer, the latter being corrugated due to spatial variations of the interatomic geometry of the Ge(111) and graphene(0001) atomic lattices with extremely large mismatch.

Published

2019-01-08

How to Cite

Goriachko, A., Melnik, P. V., & Nakhodkin, M. G. (2019). A Suggestion of the Graphene/Ge(111) Structure Based on Ultra-High Vacuum Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Investigation. Ukrainian Journal of Physics, 61(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.15407/ujpe61.01.0075

Issue

Section

Nanosystems

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