Interference enhancement of Raman signal of graphene

Raman spectroscopic studies of graphene have attracted much interest. The G-band Raman intensity of a single layer graphene on Si substrate with 300 nm SiO2 capping layer is surprisingly strong and is comparable to that of bulk graphite. To explain this Raman intensity anomaly, we show that in addition to the interference due to multiple reflection of the incident laser, the multiple reflection of the Raman signal inside the graphene layer must be also accounted for. Further studies of the role of SiO2 layer in the enhancement Raman signal of graphene are carried out and an enhancement factor of similar to 30 is achievable, which is very significant for the Raman studies. Finally, we discuss the potential application of this enhancement effect on other ultrathin films and nanoflakes and a general selection criterion of capping layer and substrate is given. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.