Interlayer interaction and electronic screening in multilayer graphene

The unusual transport properties of graphene are the direct consequence of a peculiar bandstructure near the Dirac point. We determine the shape of the pi bands and their characteristic splitting, and the transition from a pure 2D to quasi-2D behavior for 1 to 4 layers of graphene by angle-resolved photoemission. By exploiting the sensitivity of the pi bands to the electronic potential, we derive the layer-dependent carrier concentration, screening length and strength of interlayer interaction by comparison with tight binding calculations, yielding a comprehensive description of multilayer graphene's electronic structure

Massive enhancement of electron-phonon coupling in doped graphene by an electronic singularity

The nature of the coupling leading to superconductivity in layered materials such as high-Tc superconductors and graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) is still unresolved. In both systems, interactions of electrons with either phonons or other electrons or both have been proposed to explain superconductivity. In the high-Tc cuprates, the presence of a Van Hove singularity (VHS) in the density of states near the Fermi level was long ago proposed to enhance the many-body couplings and therefore may play a role in superconductivity. Such a singularity can cause an anisotropic variation in the coupling strength, which may partially explain the so-called nodal-antinodal dichotomy in the cuprates. Here we show that the topology of the graphene band structure at dopings comparable to the GICs is quite similar to that of the cuprates and that the quasiparticle dynamics in graphene have a similar dichotomy. Namely, the electron-phonon coupling is highly anisotropic, diverging near a saddle point in the graphene electronic band structure. These results support the important role of the VHS in layered materials and the possible optimization of Tc by tuning the VHS with respect to the Fermi level.Comment: 8 page

In-plane orientation effects on the electronic structure, stability and Raman scattering of monolayer graphene on Ir(111)

We employ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to investigate the electronic structures of two rotational variants of epitaxial, single-layer graphene on Ir(111). As grown, the more-abundant R0 variant is nearly charge-neutral, with strong hybridization between graphene and Ir bands near the Fermi level. The graphene Fermi surface and its replicas exactly coincide with Van Hove singularities in the Ir Fermi surface. Sublattice symmetry breaking introduces a small gap-inducing potential at the Dirac crossing, which is revealed by n-doping the graphene using K atoms. The energy gaps between main and replica bands (originating from the moir\'e interference pattern between graphene and Ir lattices) is shown to be non-uniform along the mini- zone boundary due to hybridization with Ir bands. An electronically mediated interaction is proposed to account for the stability of the R0 variant. The variant rotated 30{\deg} in-plane, R30, is p-doped as grown and K doping reveals no band gap at the Dirac crossing. No replica bands are found in ARPES measurements. Raman spectra from the R30 variant exhibit the characteristic phonon modes of graphene, while R0 spectra are featureless. These results show that the film/substrate interaction changes from chemisorption (R0) to physisorption (R30) with in-plane orientation. Finally, graphene-covered Ir has a work function lower than the clean substrate but higher than graphite.Comment: Manuscript plus 7 figure

Quasiparticle Transformation During a Metal-Insulator Transition in Graphene

Here we show, with simultaneous transport and photoemission measurements, that the graphene terminated SiC(0001) surface undergoes a metal-insulator transition (MIT) upon dosingwith small amounts of atomic hydrogen. We find the room temperature resistance increases by about 4 orders of magnitude, a transition accompanied by anomalies in the momentum-resolved spectral function including a non-Fermi Liquid behaviour and a breakdown of the quasiparticle picture. These effects are discussed in terms of a possible transition to a strongly (Anderson) localized ground state.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Understanding the Mechanism of Electronic Defect Suppression Enabled by Nonidealities in Atomic Layer Deposition.

Silicon germanium (SiGe) is a multifunctional material considered for quantum computing, neuromorphic devices, and CMOS transistors. However, implementation of SiGe in nanoscale electronic devices necessitates suppression of surface states dominating the electronic properties. The absence of a stable and passive surface oxide for SiGe results in the formation of charge traps at the SiGe-oxide interface induced by GeOx. In an ideal ALD process in which oxide is grown layer by layer, the GeOx formation should be prevented with selective surface oxidation (i.e., formation of an SiOx interface) by controlling the oxidant dose in the first few ALD cycles of the oxide deposition on SiGe. However, in a real ALD process, the interface evolves during the entire ALD oxide deposition due to diffusion of reactant species through the gate oxide. In this work, this diffusion process in nonideal ALD is investigated and exploited: the diffusion through the oxide during ALD is utilized to passivate the interfacial defects by employing ozone as a secondary oxidant. Periodic ozone exposure during gate oxide ALD on SiGe is shown to reduce the integrated trap density (Dit) across the band gap by nearly 1 order of magnitude in Al2O3 (<6 × 1010 cm-2) and in HfO2 (<3.9 × 1011 cm-2) by forming a SiOx-rich interface on SiGe. Depletion of Ge from the interfacial layer (IL) by enhancement of volatile GeOx formation and consequent desorption from the SiGe with ozone insertion during the ALD growth process is confirmed by electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS) and hypothesized to be the mechanism for reduction of the interfacial defects. In this work, the nanoscale mechanism for defect suppression at the SiGe-oxide interface is demonstrated, which is engineering of diffusion species in the ALD process due to facile diffusion of reactant species in nonideal ALD

Small scale rotational disorder observed in epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001)

Interest in the use of graphene in electronic devices has motivated an explosion in the study of this remarkable material. The simple, linear Dirac cone band structure offers a unique possibility to investigate its finer details by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). Indeed, ARPES has been performed on graphene grown on metal substrates but electronic applications require an insulating substrate. Epitaxial graphene grown by the thermal decomposition of silicon carbide (SiC) is an ideal candidate for this due to the large scale, uniform graphene layers produced. The experimental spectral function of epitaxial graphene on SiC has been extensively studied. However, until now the cause of an anisotropy in the spectral width of the Fermi surface has not been determined. In the current work we show, by comparison of the spectral function to a semi-empirical model, that the anisotropy is due to small scale rotational disorder ($\sim\pm$ 0.15$^{\circ}$) of graphene domains in graphene grown on SiC(0001) samples. In addition to the direct benefit in the understanding of graphene's electronic structure this work suggests a mechanism to explain similar variations in related ARPES data.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Intrinsic Insulating Ground State in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide TiSe2

The transition metal dichalcogenide TiSe$_2$ has received significant research attention over the past four decades. Different studies have presented ways to suppress the 200~K charge density wave transition, vary low temperature resistivity by several orders of magnitude, and stabilize magnetism or superconductivity. Here we give the results of a new synthesis technique whereby samples were grown in a high pressure environment with up to 180~bar of argon gas. Above 100~K, properties are nearly unchanged from previous reports, but a hysteretic resistance region that begins around 80~K, accompanied by insulating low temperature behavior, is distinct from anything previously observed. An accompanying decrease in carrier concentration is seen in Hall effect measurements, and photoemission data show a removal of an electron pocket from the Fermi surface in an insulating sample. We conclude that high inert gas pressure synthesis accesses an underlying nonmetallic ground state in a material long speculated to be an excitonic insulator.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

Highly p-doped graphene obtained by fluorine intercalation

We present a method for decoupling epitaxial graphene grown on SiC(0001) by intercalation of a layer of fluorine at the interface. The fluorine atoms do not enter into a covalent bond with graphene, but rather saturate the substrate Si bonds. This configuration of the fluorine atoms induces a remarkably large hole density of p \approx 4.5 \times 1013 cm-2, equivalent to the location of the Fermi level at 0.79 eV above the Dirac point ED .Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, in print AP