Graphene Manipulation on 4H-SiC(0001) Using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Atomic-scale topography of epitaxial multilayer graphene grown on 4H-SiC(0001) was investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Bunched nano-ridges ten times smaller than previously recorded were observed throughout the surface, the morphology of which was systematically altered using a relatively new technique called electrostatic-manipulation scanning tunneling microscopy. Transformed graphene formations sometimes spontaneously returned to their original morphology, while others permanently changed. Using an electrostatic model, we calculate that a force up to ~5 nN was exerted by the STM tip, and an energy of around 10 eV was required to alter the geometry of a ~100×200 nm2 area.