Nanomaterials (Mar 2023)

The Effect of C60 and Pentacene Adsorbates on the Electrical Properties of CVD Graphene on SiO<sub>2</sub>

  • Jacopo Oswald,
  • Davide Beretta,
  • Michael Stiefel,
  • Roman Furrer,
  • Dominique Vuillaume,
  • Michel Calame

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13061134
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 6
p. 1134

Abstract

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Graphene is an excellent 2D material for vertical organic transistors electrodes due to its weak electrostatic screening and field-tunable work function, in addition to its high conductivity, flexibility and optical transparency. Nevertheless, the interaction between graphene and other carbon-based materials, including small organic molecules, can affect the graphene electrical properties and therefore, the device performances. This work investigates the effects of thermally evaporated C60 (n-type) and Pentacene (p-type) thin films on the in-plane charge transport properties of large area CVD graphene under vacuum. This study was performed on a population of 300 graphene field effect transistors. The output characteristic of the transistors revealed that a C60 thin film adsorbate increased the graphene hole density by (1.65 ± 0.36) × 1012 cm−2, whereas a Pentacene thin film increased the graphene electron density by (0.55 ± 0.54) × 1012 cm−2. Hence, C60 induced a graphene Fermi energy downshift of about 100 meV, while Pentacene induced a Fermi energy upshift of about 120 meV. In both cases, the increase in charge carriers was accompanied by a reduced charge mobility, which resulted in a larger graphene sheet resistance of about 3 kΩ at the Dirac point. Interestingly, the contact resistance, which varied in the range 200 Ω–1 kΩ, was not significantly affected by the deposition of the organic molecules.

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