Optical contrast in the near-field limit for structural characterization of graphene nanoribbons

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are unique structures with interesting optical and electronic properties which have great potential of application in fields such as optoelectronics and nanoelectronics. Synthesis and characterization techniques of GNRs are quite important for the development of such technologies. In the case of the structural characterization, it is essential to develop quick and non-destructive approaches in order to determine properties such as thickness and uniformity of GNRs. In the present work we report the structural characterization of GNRs grown on stepped SiC (0001) surfaces by using a differential reflectance contrast (DRC) technique based on a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM). With this approach, it is possible to assess GNRs widths with dimension as small as 60 nm with a thickness of one or two graphene monolayers. Our results show that the DRC technique is powerful to analyze the morphology of GNRs grown on SiC (0001) substrates which is a promising wafer-scale plattform for the development of graphene-based nanoelectronics.

Automated summary

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are unique structures with interesting optical and electronic properties that have great potential in optoelectronics and nanoelectronics. Utilizing a differential reflectance contrast (DRC) technique can accurately evaluate the thickness and uniformity of GNRs. Studying GNRs on SiC substrates provides a promising method for the development of graphene-based nanoelectronics.