Etching of graphene devices with a helium ion beam.

Lemme, Max C; Bell, David C; Williams, James R; Stern, Lewis A; Baugher, Britton W H; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo; Marcus, Charles M · ACS Nano · 2009

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We report on the etching of graphene devices with a helium ion beam, including in situ electrical measurement during lithography. The etching process can be used to nanostructure and electrically isolate different regions in a graphene device, as demonstrated by etching a channel in a suspended graphene device with etched gaps down to about 10 nm. Graphene devices on silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) substrates etch with lower He ion doses and are found to have a residual conductivity after etching, which we attribute to contamination by hydrocarbons.