Nanostructured Graphene on β-SiC/Si(001): Atomic and Electronic Structures, Magnetic and Transport Properties (Brief Review)

The studies of the properties of graphene synthesized on the surface of epitaxial films of cubic single-crystal silicon carbide preliminarily grown on Si(001) wafers have been reviewed. These studies were supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 17-02-01139. The results of these studies demonstrate that graphene layers synthesized on β-SiC/Si(001) substrates have the atomic structure and electronic properties of a quasi-freestanding graphene sheet. Continuous graphene layers with a preferential direction of nanodomain boundaries, which is determined by the orientation of steps on the initial surface, can be synthesized on vicinal SiC(001) substrates. The possibility of controlled growth of mono-, bi-, and trilayer graphene on β-SiC/Si(001) wafers has been demonstrated. The studies have shown the opening of a transport gap and a high positive magnetoresistance in a parallel magnetic field in an ordered system of graphene nanoribbons on the vicinal SiC(001) surface. It has been shown that the functionalization of graphene with organic compounds changes the electronic properties of graphene on SiC(001), modifying it to a semiconductor with given properties, which allows applications in modern micro- and nanoelectronics.