• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.277-277
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• 2013

The epitaxial graphene on the 4H- or 6H-SiC(0001) surface has been intensively studied due to the possibility of wafer-scale growt. However the existence of interface layer (zero layer graphene) and its influence on the upper graphene layer have been considered as one of the main obstarcles for the industrial application. Among various methods tried to overcome the strong interaction with the substrate through the interface layer, it has been proved that the hydrogen intercalation successfully passivate the Si dangling bond of the substrate and can produce the quasi-free standing epitaxial graphene (QFEG) layers on the siC(0001) surface. In this study, we report the results of the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and Raman spectroscopy for the QFEG layers produced by ex-situ and in-situ hydrogen intercalation.From the ARPES measurement, we confirmed that the Dirac points of QFEG layers exactly coincide with the Fermi level. The band structure of QFEG layer are sustainable upon thermal heating up to 1100 K and robust against the deposition of several metals andmolecular deposition. We also investigated the strain of the QFEG layers by using Raman spectroscopy measurement. From the change of the 2D peak position of graphene Raman spectrum, we found out that unlike the strong compressive strain in the normal epitaxial graphene on the SiC(0001) surface, the strain of the QFEG layer are significantly released and almost similar to that of the mechanically exfoliated graphene on the silicon oxide substrate. These results indicated that various ideas proposed for the ideal free-standing graphene can be tested based on the QFEG graphene layers grown on the SiC(0001) surface.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.128-128
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• 2012

We investigated the atomic and electronic properties of graphene grown by Pd silicidation and intercalation using LEED, STM, and ARPES. Pd was deposited on the 6H-SiC(0001) surface at RT. The formation of Pd silicide gives rise to breaking of Si-C bonds of the SiC crystal, which enables to release C atoms at low temperature. The C atoms are transformed into graphene from $860^{\circ}C$ according to the LEED patterns as a function of annealing temperature. Even though the graphene spots were observed in the LEED pattern and the Fourier transformed STM images after annealing at $870^{\circ}C$, the topography images showed various superstructures so that graphene is covered with Pd silicide residue. After annealing at $950^{\circ}C$, monolayer graphene was revealed at the surface. The growth of graphene is not limited by surface obstacles such as steps and defects. In addition, we observed that six protrusions consisting of the honeycomb network of graphene has same intensity meaning non-broken AB-symmetry of graphene. The ARPES results in the vicinity of K point showed the non-doped linear ${\pi}$ band structure indicating monolayer graphene decoupled from the SiC substrate electronically. Note that the charge neutrality of graphene grown by Pd silicidation and intercalation was sustained regardless of annealing temperature in contrast with quasi-free- standing graphene induced by H and Au intercalation. Further annealing above $1,000^{\circ}C$ accelerates sublimation of the Pd silicide layer underneath graphene. This results in appearance of the $(6r3x6r3)R30^{\circ}$ structure and dissolution of the ${\pi}$ bands for quasi-free-standing graphene.