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Graphene an Introduction to the Material, Its Application As a Photodetector and Possible Future Uses

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Graphene an Introduction to the Material, Its Application As a Photodetector and Possible Future Uses Graphene An Introduction to the Material, its Application as a Photodetector and possible future Uses Daniel Schmid, W14b Kantonsschule Enge, Zürich 18.12.2017 Supervised by Erich Schurtenberger 2 Abstract In this paper, the two-dimensional material graphene is investigated. The characteristics of graphene are stated and how this material can lead to technological progress. Its structure and fundamental properties are exhibited and with the basic functioning principles of photodetectors, the practical use of graphene is shown by means of a specific application. The last chapter provides an outlook on the variety of other possible future applications. 3 Abstract 4 Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ 5 Preamble ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 8 History of Graphene .................................................................................................................... 9 What is Graphene ..................................................................................................................... 11 Structure ................................................................................................................................ 11 Properties .............................................................................................................................. 12 Electrical Properties ............................................................................................................ 12 Optical Properties ............................................................................................................... 16 Mechanical Properties ........................................................................................................ 16 Fabrication ............................................................................................................................ 17 Mechanical Exfoliation ....................................................................................................... 17 Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) ................................................................................... 17 Experiment ............................................................................................................................... 18 Method ................................................................................................................................. 18 Results .................................................................................................................................. 21 Discussion ............................................................................................................................. 22 What is a Photodetector ............................................................................................................. 23 Graphene Photodetector ............................................................................................................ 28 Conclusion and Outlook ............................................................................................................ 30 Declaration of Authenticity ........................................................................................................ 32 Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 33 Calculation of Photon Energy ................................................................................................. 33 Resistivity of the Graphene Flake ........................................................................................... 33 Indices ...................................................................................................................................... 34 List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ 34 List of Literature .................................................................................................................... 36 5 Table of Contents 6 Preamble Carbon is one of the most important elements in the world concerning living beings, as every organic molecule contains carbon and hydrogen atoms. This incredible element can, in its pure form, exist in a variety of different states. The best known are probably graphite and diamond. At first, I wanted to write my matura paper about diamonds and how their optical properties change with different impurities in the carbon lattice, hence with different colours, but it turned out to be really difficult to get hold of diamonds in various colours. About the same time, I read an article in the news about a new nanomaterial that could revolutionise the way we’re living. This new material was supposed to be the first truly two-dimensional material ever isolated, only one layer of atoms thick, yet stronger than steel, flexible and the best electrical conductor known to mankind. This material is graphene, another compound made up solely of carbon atoms. As the Royal Swedish Academy of Science put it when announcing the winners of the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics: “Carbon, the basis of all life on earth, has surprised us once again.” I was fascinated by the prospect of the new technologies which could be made true because of graphene straight away. Some media even said the 21th century would be the century of graphene. I wanted to spread the news about graphene and show its amazing properties and possible future applications. To make sure that this paper wouldn’t just be fantasies about future technologies, I decided to show the potential of graphene on one specific application. As I didn’t want to ditch my original idea completely, I looked into the application of graphene as a photodetector. I owe great thanks to my former physics teacher and mentor Erich Schurtenberger, who was really supportive from the beginning and helped me throughout the process of researching and writing by answering my questions, supplying me with additional literature and by organising a meeting with Dr. Ivan Sholubalko at EMPA in Dübendorf, who has already conducted research on graphene and graphene based photodetectors for years. Dr. Shorubalko dedicated a whole day to show me around the institute, share his knowledge and conduct simple experiments with me and supply me with lots and lots of literature concerning the subject. Wherefore, I’m deeply grateful. I also have to thank my parents and my brother who pushed me when I was lacking drive to carry on and were there to discuss the matter and help me find solutions. Special thanks also to my girlfriend, who was always supporting me and giving me motivation when I didn’t have any. 7 Preamble Introduction The main goal in this paper is to introduce the material graphene, describe its physical and chemical properties and demonstrate the potential of graphene on the basis of a specific application on level of difficulty which is understandable for a grammar school student. Graphene can only be manufactured since roughly fifteen years, but in today’s nanotechnology research it has become rather important and the European Union has been funding graphene research with a budget of one billion euros. Especially in the electronics industry, graphene can lead to new breakthroughs due to its extraordinary electrical properties, stability and flexible structure. Graphene also exhibits remarkable optical properties which enables it to be used in optoelectronic devices, such as photodetectors. To demonstrate the practicability of graphene, the possible application as a photodetector is described. This paper can be divided into two parts. The first one is dedicated to graphene itself. The history and discovery of graphene, its properties and how graphene can be fabricated. The focus lies on the properties which come to play in the application as a photodetector described in the second part of this work. The theoretical part about graphene is concluded with a simple experiment I was able to conduct at EMPA with Dr. Ivan Shorubalko, who is an expert on graphene. This experiment primarily served the purpose of verifying some of the properties described in the theory section and to lay hands on real graphene. To understand the future use of graphene as a photodetector, the theory and fundamental physical processes of photodetection and the basic setup of a photodiode are explained in the second main part of this paper. The theory about graphene and about photodetectors are combined to illustrate the metal-graphene-metal photodetector as a practical application of graphene. In the last chapter, the discussed aspects will be concluded, an outlook on other applications of graphene will be provided and what the future could look like. 8 Introduction History of Graphene In the late 1850‘s Benjamin Collins Brodie Jr. specified the structure of thermally reduced graphite oxide and was therefore the first scientist to experiment on a two-dimensional graphite compound (Brodie, 1859). His research was pursued in the early 20th century. The first
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