General Physics Colloquium

'Epitaxial Graphene on SiC: Growth, Properties, and Manipulation'

Professor Dr. Thomas Seyller

Technische Universität Chemnitz

Graphene, the 2-dimensional crystal of sp²-bonded carbon atoms, is currently one of the hot topics in solid state physics. The electronic structure of the charge carriers in graphene is described by the Weyl-Hamiltonian for massless particles. This results in interesting properties such as an unusual quantum Hall effect or Klein tunneling. Charge carriers in graphene, whose density and type (electrons or holes) can be tuned by an external gate, are characterized by a high mobility, which makes graphene interesting for electronic applications. Furthermore, graphene is mechanically very stable and thereby almost completely transparent which may be exploited in flexible and transparent electrodes. In order to bring graphene from the lab into the application, methods must be developed for a large scale production of graphene by epitaxial growth on a substrate. In my presentation I will discuss the properties of epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001), which grows via thermal decomposition of the substrate surface at elevated temperatures. In the first part of my talk I will discuss the intrinsic properties of epitaxial graphene. Then I will show how the properties of graphene can be influenced by altering the interface with the substrate. Finally, I will present some more recent results on graphene grown on non-basal plane surfaces of SiC.

Wine and cheese will be served at 4 PM