Gate dependent photocurrents at a graphene p-n junction

We have used scanning photocurrent microscopy to explore the electronic characteristics of a graphene p-n junction fabricated by local chemical doping of a graphene sheet. The photocurrent signal at the junction was found to be most prominent for gate voltages between the two Dirac points of the oppositely doped graphene regions. The gate dependence of this signal agrees well with simulations based upon the Fermi level difference between the two differently doped sections. It is concluded that the photocurrent maps are dominated by the built-in electric field, with only a minor photothermoelectric contribution. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3505926]