Electronic properties of graphene-single crystal diamond heterostructures

Single crystal diamond has been used as a substrate to support single layer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition methods. It is possible to chemically functionalise the diamond surface, and in the present case H-, F-, O-, and N-group have been purposefully added prior to graphene deposition. The electronic properties of the resultant heterostructures vary strongly; a p-type layer with good mobility and a band gap of similar to 0.7 eV is created when H-terminated diamond layers are used, whilst a layer with more metallic-like character (high carrier density and low carrier mobility) arises when N(O)-terminations are introduced. Since it is relatively easy to pattern these functional groups on the diamond surface, this suggests that this approach may offer an exciting route to 2D device structures on single layer graphene sheets. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.