Effect of oxygen plasma etching on graphene's mechanical and electrical properties

This paper reports a study of the effect of oxygen plasma etching on the mechanical and electrical properties of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) multilayer graphene. By means of scan probe microscopy (SPM), it was found that the defects were initially induced to the top graphene layer by oxygen plasma etching, which plays an incentive role in further etching. Oxygen plasma bombarding on surface of graphene enhanced the surface roughness, as well changed the tribological properties. The results of electronic transport measurements show a decrease in mobility with the increase of etching duration. These findings are valuable for studying the effects of plasma etching on graphene, and modifying the physical properties of graphene through artificially generated defects.