A Robust Highly Aligned DNA Nanowire Array-Enabled Lithography for Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electronics Engineering

Background:

• Graphene exhibits excellent charge carrier mobility, making it promising for high-performance electronic devices.
• Graphene nanoribbons and nanomesh are of particular interest for field-effect transistors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable method for fabricating highly aligned graphene nanoribbons.
• To utilize DNA nanowires as a lithographic resist for precise graphene patterning.

Main Methods:

• Crafting highly aligned DNA nanowire arrays via flow-assisted self-assembly.
• Transfer-printing DNA nanowires onto chemical vapor deposited (CVD)-grown graphene.
• Using DNA nanowires as a resist for selective graphene removal to form nanoribbons.

Main Results:

• Achieved large-area (millimeter scale) production of aligned graphene nanoribbons.
• Demonstrated high feature-size controllability and a low defect density in the fabricated nanoribbons.
• Successfully fabricated flexible two-terminal devices and field-effect transistors.

Conclusions:

• DNA nanowire arrays provide an effective and scalable lithographic approach for graphene nanoribbon fabrication.
• The developed method offers precise control over nanoribbon dimensions and defects.
• This technique facilitates the production of advanced graphene-based electronic devices, including flexible transistors.