PhD ceremony Mr. L. Bignardi: Electronic and structural properties of graphene/metal interfaces

PhD ceremony: Mr. L. Bignardi, 11.00 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Dissertation: Electronic and structural properties of graphene/metal interfaces

Promotor(s): prof. P. Rudolf

Faculty: Mathematics and Natural Sciences

The future employment of graphene, a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms, as a fundamental component for carbon-based electronic devices needs to be supported by a thorough understanding how graphene interacts with its support layer and how its properties may be affected by this interaction. In particular, the study of graphene/metal interfaces has seen a tremendously increasing interest in the scientific community because of the important role of the metal in the growth process of graphene (mostly chemical vapour deposition, CVD, is employed). Especially, the electronic properties of the graphene membrane, while in contact with the metal, need to be fully characterized in order to realize future electronic devices such as field effect transistors which are based on graphene.

In this dissertation, we provide an overview of the modifications of electronic and structural properties of graphene grown by CVD on technologically relevant metals, such as nickel and copper. Occupied and unoccupied electronic states as well as the structural features of these interfaces were determined by employing various surface science techniques such as photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. Moreover, the optimization of the growth procedures that could influence the graphene properties was also in the focus of the investigations.