Recent years have witnessed many breakthroughs in research on graphene (the first two-dimensional atomic crystal) as well as a significant advance in the mass production of this material. This one-atom-thick fabric of carbon uniquely combines extreme mechanical strength, exceptionally high electronic and thermal conductivities, impermeability to gases, as well as many other supreme properties, all of which make it highly attractive for numerous applications. Here we review recent progress in graphene research and in the development of production methods, and critically analyse the feasibility of various graphene applications.

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A roadmap for graphene

The richness of optical and electronic properties of graphene attracts enormous interest. Graphene has high mobility and optical transparency, in addition to flexibility, robustness and environmental stability. So far, the main focus has been on fundamental physics and electronic devices. However, we believe its true potential lies in photonics and optoelectronics, where the combination of its unique optical and electronic properties can be fully exploited, even in the absence of a bandgap, and the linear dispersion of the Dirac electrons enables ultrawideband tunability. The rise of graphene in photonics and optoelectronics is shown by several recent results, ranging from solar cells and light-emitting devices to touch screens, photodetectors and ultrafast lasers. Here we review the state-of-the-art in this emerging field.

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Graphene photonics and optoelectronics

Raman spectroscopy is an integral part of graphene research. It is used to determine the number and orientation of layers, the quality and types of edge, and the effects of perturbations, such as electric and magnetic fields, strain, doping, disorder and functional groups. This, in turn, provides insight into all sp(2)-bonded carbon allotropes, because graphene is their fundamental building block. Here we review the state of the art, future directions and open questions in Raman spectroscopy of graphene. We describe essential physical processes whose importance has only recently been recognized, such as the various types of resonance at play, and the role of quantum interference. We update all basic concepts and notations, and propose a terminology that is able to describe any result in literature. We finally highlight the potential of Raman spectroscopy for layered materials other than graphene.

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Raman spectroscopy as a versatile tool for studying the properties of graphene

Recent years have seen a rapid growth of interest by the scientific and engineering communities in the thermal properties of materials. Heat removal has become a crucial issue for continuing progress in the electronic industry, and thermal conduction in low-dimensional structures has revealed truly intriguing features. Carbon allotropes and their derivatives occupy a unique place in terms of their ability to conduct heat. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of carbon materials span an extraordinary large range--of over five orders of magnitude--from the lowest in amorphous carbons to the highest in graphene and carbon nanotubes. Here, I review the thermal properties of carbon materials focusing on recent results for graphene, carbon nanotubes and nanostructured carbon materials with different degrees of disorder. Special attention is given to the unusual size dependence of heat conduction in two-dimensional crystals and, specifically, in graphene. I also describe the prospects of applications of graphene and carbon materials for thermal management of electronics.

Thermal properties of graphene and nanostructured carbon materials

Recent years witnessed a rapid growth of interest of scientific and engineering communities to thermal properties of materials. Carbon allotropes and derivatives occupy a unique place in terms of their ability to conduct heat. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of carbon materials span an extraordinary large range – of over five orders of magnitude – from the lowest in amorphous carbons to the highest in graphene and carbon nanotubes. I review thermal and thermoelectric properties of carbon materials focusing on recent results for graphene, carbon nanotubes and nanostructured carbon materials with different degrees of disorder. A special attention is given to the unusual size dependence of heat conduction in two-dimensional crystals and, specifically, in graphene. I also describe prospects of applications of graphene and carbon materials for thermal management of electronics.

Thermal Properties of Graphene, Carbon Nanotubes and Nanostructured Carbon Materials

We measure the channel potential of a graphene transistor using a scanning photocurrent imaging technique. We show that at a certain gate bias, the impact of the metal on the channel potential profile extends into the channel for more than one-third of the total channel length from both source and drain sides; hence, most of the channel is affected by the metal. The potential barrier between the metal-controlled graphene and bulk graphene channel is also measured at various gate biases. As the gate bias exceeds the Dirac point voltage, VDirac, the original p-type graphene channel turns into a p-n-p channel. When light is focused on the p-n junctions, an impressive external responsivity of 0.001 A/W is achieved, given that only a single layer of atoms are involved in photon detection.

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Photocurrent imaging and efficient photon detection in a graphene transistor

Wrinkling is a ubiquitous phenomenon in two-dimensional membranes. In particular, in the large-scale growth of graphene on metallic substrates, high densities of wrinkles are commonly observed. Despite their prevalence and potential impact on large-scale graphene electronics, relatively little is known about their structural morphology and electronic properties. Surveying the graphene landscape using atomic force microscopy, we found that wrinkles reach a certain maximum height before folding over. Calculations of the energetics explain the morphological transition and indicate that the tall ripples are collapsed into narrow standing wrinkles by van der Waals forces, analogous to large-diameter nanotubes. Quantum transport calculations show that conductance through these “collapsedwrinkle” structures is limited mainly by a density-of-states bottleneck and by interlayer tunneling across the collapsed bilayer region. Also through systematic measurements across large numbers of devices with wide “foldedwrink...

https://researcher.watson.ibm.com/researcher/files/us-vperebe/graphene_wrinkle.pdf

Structure and Electronic Transport in Graphene Wrinkles

We investigate poly(ethylene imine) and diazonium salts as stable, complementary dopants on graphene. Transport in graphene devices doped with these molecules exhibits asymmetry in electron and hole conductance. The conductance of one carrier is preserved, while the conductance of the other carrier decreases. Simulations based on nonequilibrium Greenʼs function formalism suggest that the origin of this asymmetry is imbalanced carrier injection from the graphene electrodes caused by misalignment of the electrode and channel neutrality points.

Chemical doping and electron-hole conduction asymmetry in graphene devices.

We utilize an organic polymer buffer layer between graphene and conventional gate dielectrics in top-gated graphene transistors. Unlike other insulators, this dielectric stack does not significantly degrade carrier mobility, allowing for high field-effect mobilities to be retained in top-gate operation. This is demonstrated in both two-point and four-point analysis and in the high-frequency operation of a graphene transistor. Temperature dependence of the carrier mobility suggests that phonons are the dominant scatterers in these devices.

Utilization of a Buffered Dielectric to Achieve High Field-Effect Carrier Mobility in Graphene Transistors

We measure the temperature distribution in a biased single-layer graphene transistor using Raman scattering microscopy of the 2D-phonon band Peak operating temperatures of 1050 K are reached in the middle of the graphene sheet at 210 kW cm -2 of dissipated electric power The metallic contacts act as heat sinks, but not in a dominant fashion To explain the observed temperature profile and heating rate, we have to include heat flow from the graphene to the gate oxide underneath, especially at elevated temperatures, where the graphene thermal conductivity is lowered due to umklapp scattering Velocity saturation due to phonons with about 50-60 meV energy is inferred from the measured charge density via shifts in the Raman G-phonon band, suggesting that remote scattering (through field coupling) by substrate polar surface phonons increases the energy transfer to the substrate and at the same time limits the high-bias electronic conduction of graphene

https://researcher.watson.ibm.com/researcher/files/us-vperebe/FreitagEnergyGraph.pdf

Phaedon Avouris

Papers

Photocurrent imaging and efficient photon detection in a graphene transistor

Structure and Electronic Transport in Graphene Wrinkles

Chemical doping and electron-hole conduction asymmetry in graphene devices.

Utilization of a Buffered Dielectric to Achieve High Field-Effect Carrier Mobility in Graphene Transistors

Energy dissipation in graphene field-effect transistors.