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Nanofabrication of Gate-defined GaAs/AlGaAs Lateral Quantum Dots
Published on: November 1, 2013
Uniform graphene quantum dots patterned from self-assembled silica nanodots.
Jinsup Lee1, Kyungho Kim, Woon Ik Park
1Department of Material Science and Engineering, KAIST Institute for the NanoCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea.
Nano Letters
|November 15, 2012
Summary
Uniform graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were fabricated using block copolymer (BCP) masks on graphene films. This method enables precise size control, crucial for understanding GQD properties in nanoelectronics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) exhibit unique quantum optical and electrical properties relevant to nanoelectronics.
- Current GQD fabrication methods often use reduced graphene oxide, complicating the isolation of size-dependent properties.
- Precisely controlling GQD size is essential for understanding and utilizing their size-dependent characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for size-controlled fabrication of uniform graphene quantum dots.
- To investigate the influence of GQD size and oxygen content on their photoluminescence properties.
Main Methods:
- Utilized self-assembled block copolymer (BCP) nanospheres as an etch mask on chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown graphene films.
- Fabricated GQDs with controlled diameters (10 and 20 nm) corresponding to BCP sphere sizes.
- Analyzed GQD structure using electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy.
- Investigated the effect of oxygen content by employing additional air plasma treatment.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated uniform GQDs with precise size control (10 and 20 nm) using BCP masks.
- Observed a photoluminescence emission peak at approximately 395 nm for GQDs on SiO(2) substrates.
- Demonstrated that oxygen content in GQDs can be tuned, influencing their PL properties.
- Confirmed GQD fabrication through Raman and PL spectral analysis at each step.
Conclusions:
- The BCP-assisted etching technique provides a reliable method for producing size-controlled graphene quantum dots.
- This approach facilitates the study of intrinsic GQD properties, particularly size-dependent optical characteristics.
- Controlled oxygen functionalization offers a pathway to tune the photoluminescence of graphene quantum dots for specific applications.
