Synthesis, characterization and electrical properties of silicon-doped graphene films

Abstract

Theoretical calculations have predicted that silicon doping modifies the electronic structure of graphene; however, it is difficult to synthesize high-quality silicon-doped graphene (SiG), thus the electrical properties of SiG have still remained unexplored. In this study, a monolayer SiG film was synthesized by chemical vapour deposition using triphenylsilane (C₁₈H₁₅Si) as a sole solid source, which provides both carbon and silicon atoms. The silicon doping content is ∼2.63 at%, and silicon atoms are incorporated into the graphene lattice with pure Si–C bonds. Furthermore, electrical studies reveal that the as-synthesized SiG film shows a typical p-type doping behaviour with a considerably high carrier mobility of about 660 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at room temperature. In addition, due to the single doping structure of Si–C bonds, the SiG film can be expected to be used as an excellent platform for studying silicon doping effects on the physical and chemical properties of graphene.