Shaping Graphene: An Alternative Approach

With experimentation on graphene (an atomic layer of graphite) becoming more and more common it is imperative that we have the capability to shape the material beyond the random manner in which it is deposited by mechanical exfoliation. This capability would be invaluable not only for the interesting electronic and optical properties that can be obtained, but also potentially for characterizing the mechanical resonators that we have been able to fabricate here at Pomona College by suspending few-layer graphene sheets over trenches in SiO2. We propose novel methods for etching graphene that should allow us to shape the material when used in conjunction with our e-beam lithography capabilities.