Graphene nanoribbons on hexagonal boron nitride: Deposition and transport characterization

Abstract

Chemically synthesized "cove"-type graphene nanoribbons (cGNRs) of different widths were brought into dispersion and drop-cast onto exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) on a Si/SiO2 chip. Using AFM, we observed that the cGNRs form ordered domains aligned along the crystallographic axes of the hBN. Using electron beam lithography and metallization, we contacted the cGNRs with NiCr/Au or Pd contacts and measured their I-V characteristics. The transport through the ribbons was dominated by the Schottky behavior of the contacts between the metal and the ribbon.