Direct writing of lateral fluorographene nanopatterns with tunable bandgaps and its application in new generation of moiré superlattice

Abstract

One of the primary goals for monolayer device fabrications and an ideal model of graphene as an atomic thin "canvas" is one that permits semiconducting/insulating lateral nanopatterns to be freely and directly drawn on the semimetallic graphene surface. This work demonstrates a reversible electron-beam-activated technique that allows direct writing of semiconducting/insulating fluorographene lateral nanopatterns with tunable bandgaps on the graphene surface with a resolution down to 9-15 nm. This approach overcomes the conventional limit of semiconducting C4F in the single-sided fluorination of supported graphene and achieves insulating C2F. Moreover, applying this technique on bilayer graphene demonstrates for the first time a new type of rectangular moiré pattern arising from the generated C2F boat/graphene superlattice. This novel technique constitutes a new approach to fabricating graphene-based flexible and transparent electronic nanodevices with the CxF channels utilized as semiconducting or insulating counterparts, and also opens a route toward the tailoring and engineering of electronic properties of such materials in addition to the dominating triangular moiré patterns from a graphene/hBN system.