Buffer layer engineering on graphene via various oxidation methods for atomic layer deposition

The integration of a high-k oxide on graphene using atomic layer deposition requires an electrically reliable buffer layer. In this study, Y was selected as the buffer layer due to its highest oxidation ability among the rare-earth elements, and various oxidation methods (atmospheric, and high-pressure O-2 and ozone annealing) were applied to the Y metal buffer layer. By optimizing the oxidation conditions of the top-gate insulator, we successfully improved the capacitance of the top gate Y2O3 insulator and demonstrated a large Ion/Ioff ratio for bilayer graphene under an external electric field. (C) 2016 The Japan Society of Applied Physics