Swapnil M. Mhatre

A mathematical approach is adopted for optimizing the number of total device elements required for obtaining high effective quantized resistances in graphene-based quantum Hall array devices. This work explores an analytical extension to the use of star–mesh transformations such that fractal-like, or recursive, device designs can yield high enough resistances (like 1 EΩ, arguably the highest resistance with meaningful applicability) while still being feasible to build with modern fabrication techniques. Epitaxial graphene elements are tested, whose quantized Hall resistance at the ν=2 plateau (RH≈ 12 906.4 Ω) becomes the building block for larger effective, quantized resistances. It is demonstrated that, mathematically, one would not need more than 200 elements to achieve the highest pertinent resistances.

Advances in the development of graphene-based technology have enabled improvements in DC resistance metrology. Devices made from epitaxially grown graphene have replaced the GaAs-based counterparts, leading to an easier and more accessible realization of the ohm. By optimizing the scale of the growth, it has become possible to fabricate quantized Hall array resistance standards (QHARS) with nominal values between 1 kΩ and 1.29 MΩ. One of these QHARS device designs accommodates a value of about 1.01 MΩ, which made it an ideal candidate to pursue a proof-of-concept that graphene-based QHARS devices are suitable for forming wye-delta resistance networks. In this work, the 1.01 MΩ array output nearly 20.6 MΩ due to the wye-delta transformation, which itself is a special case of star-mesh transformations. These mathematical equivalence principles allow one to extend the QHR to the 100 MΩ and 10 GΩ resistance levels with fewer array elements than would be necessary for a single array with many more elements in series. The 1.01 MΩ device shows promise that the wye-delta transformation can shorten the calibration chain, and, more importantly, provide a chain with a more direct line to the quantum SI.

We have demonstrated the fabrication of both armchair and zigzag epitaxial graphene nanoribbon (GNR) devices on 4H–SiC using a polymer-assisted sublimation growth method. The phenomenon of terrace step formation has traditionally introduced the risk of GNR deformation along sidewalls, but a polymer-assisted sublimation method helps mitigate this risk. Each type of 50 nm wide GNR is examined electrically and optically (armchair and zigzag), with the latter method being a check on the quality of the GNR devices and the former using alternating current to investigate resistance attenuation from frequencies above 100 Hz. Rates of attenuation are determined for each type of GNR device, revealing subtle suggested differences between armchair and zigzag GNRs.

This work reports the dynamics of transient hole doping in epitaxial graphene devices by using nitric acid as an adsorbent. The timescales associated with corresponding desorption processes are extracted from the data. The understanding of reversible hole doping without gating is of crucial importance to those fabricating devices with a particular functionality. Measurements of the electrical and optical properties of several devices postexposure were performed with transport temperatures between 300 and 1.5 K. Ambient conditions are applied to nontransport measurements to replicate the most likely laboratory conditions for handling devices using this doping method. The relevant timescales from transport measurements are compared with results from Raman spectroscopy measurements.

This work reports the dynamics of transient hole doping in epitaxial graphene devices by using nitric acid as an adsorbent. The timescales associated with corresponding desorption processes are extracted from the data. The understanding of reversible hole doping without gating is of crucial importance to those fabricating devices with a particular functionality. Measurements of the electrical and optical properties of several devices post-exposure were performed with transport temperatures between 300 K and 1.5 K. Ambient conditions are applied to non-transport measurements to replicate the most likely laboratory conditions for handling devices using this doping method. The relevant timescales from transport measurements are compared with results from Raman spectroscopy measurements.

Graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) are promising candidates for gas sensing applications because they have a high surface area to volume ratio, high conductivity, and a high temperature stability. The information provided in this data article will cover the surface and structural properties of pure and chemically treated GnPs, specifically with carboxyl, ammonia, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorocarbon, and argon. Molecular dynamics and adsorption calculations are provided alongside characterization data, which was performed with Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine the functional groups present and effects of those groups on the structural and vibrational properties. Certain features in the observed Raman spectra are attributed to the variations in concentration of the chemically treated GnPs. XRD data show smaller crystallite sizes for chemically treated GnPs that agree with images acquired with scanning electron microscopy. A molecular dynamics simulation is also employed to gain a better understanding of the Raman and adsorption properties of pure GnPs.