arXiv subjects

Colm Durkan

Publications and source records attributed to Colm Durkan.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Direct-write electrochemical nanofabrication of ultrasmall graphene devices

Graphene nano-ribbons, GNRs, are promising channel materials for next-generation ultra-miniaturised devices due to their exceptional electrical and thermal properties which arise from their atomic thickness, as well as their ability to have a size-dependent band-gap [1-9]. However, despite extensive efforts to reliably fabricate narrow GNR-based field-effect transistors [10-12], their integration into conventional transistor technologies remains hindered by challenges such as high fabrication costs and complex processing requirements [13, 14]. In this study, we present a direct-write, relatively low-cost and robust approach for fabricating sub-10 nm GNR-based FETs using electrochemical atomic force microscopy lithography with an alternating current (AC) bias, obviating the need for electrodes. We also explain the underlying electrochemical process and provide a model which can be used to describe it. Leveraging the high-precision positioning capability of AFM, this method enables precise nanoscale graphene patterning with feature sizes below 10nm. Compared with conventional lithographic techniques, photo- and electron-beam lithography i.e., PL & EBL, respectively [2, 15-20], it offers higher resolution, lower defect density, contamination-free processing, and the capability for in situ nanoscale device modification and characterisation. This work provides an efficient strategy for advancing GNR-based nanoelectronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

On the effect of Edge vs bulk effects in Graphene Nanoribbons

Recent works have shown how the electrical properties of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) show a size-dependence in terms of resistivity, charge neutrality point (CNP) and band structure once their widths drop below approximately 50 nm. It has been observed that the CNP switches sign below a certain GNR width, and in this article, we explore this via computational modelling of the electric field and the conductance of GNRs in the presence of an AFM tip. We show that CNP is expected to shift towards lower values as GNR width reduces as a result of the significantly enhanced electric field around edges, but that a change in sign is not expected. We also show experimentally via high-resolution Scanning Gate Microscopy (SGM) that there does not appear to be any significant difference between the edges and the bulk of a GNR, indicating that the switch in CNP is not due to differential doping, and may instead be due to variations in the band structure as a function of size.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Ferrotronics for the creation of band gaps in Graphene

We experimentally demonstrate a simple graphene/ ferrolectric device, termed Ferrotronic (electronic effect from ferroelectric) device in which the band-structure of single-layer graphene is modified. The device architecture consists of graphene deposited on a ferroelectric substrate which encodes a periodic surface potential achieved through domain engineering. This structure takes advantage of the nature of conduction through graphene to modulate the Fermi velocity of the charge carriers by the variations in surface potential, leading to the emergence of energy mini-bands and a band gap at the superlattice Brillouin zone boundary. Our work represents a simple route to building circuits whose functionality is controlled by the underlying substrate.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Unravelling the electrical properties of epitaxial Graphene nanoribbons

The size-dependent electrical resistivity of single-layer graphene ribbons has been studied experimentally for ribbon widths from 16 nm to 320 nm. The experimental findings are that the resistivity follows a more dramatic trend than that seen for metallic nanowires of similar dimensions, due to a combination of surface scattering from the edges, band-gap related effects and shifts in the Fermi level due to edge effects. We show that the Charge Neutrality point switches polarity below a ribbon width of around 50 nm, and that at this point, the thermal coefficient of resistance is a maximum. The majority doping type therefore can be controlled by altering ribbon width. We also demonstrate that an alumina passivation layer has a significant effect on the mean free path of the charge carriers within the graphene, which can be probed directly via measurements of the width-dependent resistivity. We propose a model for conduction that takes edge and confinement effects into account.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Periodic ripples on thermally annealed Graphene on Cu (110) - Surface reconstruction or Moire pattern?

We have used Ultrahigh Vacuum (UHV) Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to investigate the effect of thermal annealing of graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) on a Cu(110) foil. We show that the annealing appears to induce a reconstruction of the Cu surface along the [210] direction, with a period of 1.43 nm. Such reconstructions have been ascribed to the tensile strain induced in the Cu surface by differential thermal expansion of it relative to the graphene overlayer, but we show that it is in fact a Moir\'e pattern due to interference between the graphene and the underlying atomic lattice as evidenced by the appearance of an odd-even transition only observed due to mis-orientation of the top layer of a crystal. This highlights that the analysis of STM measurements of graphene on metal surfaces should take such interference into account and that the graphene-Cu interface is more complex than previously thought.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Towards Resolving Landauer's Paradox Through Direct Observation of Multiscale Ferroelastic-Ferroelectric Interplay

Electric-polarization reversibility in nano-ferroelectric structures renders them as a convenient platform for exploring phase transitions and developing energy-efficient switching devices. However, the fundamental question of how ferroic domains switch, i.e. how the polarization changes from one state to another, is yet to be answered fully. There are contradicting models and a wide body of accumulated data which disagree as to whether the switching requires domain nucleation. Moreover, ferroelectric domains switch under electric fields that are supposedly too weak to form nucleation sites, indicating that the level of disorder seen in real systems plays an important role. This longstanding so-called Landauer's paradox is the ferroelectric equivalent to the absence of raindrop formation in a dust-free vacuum, leading to supersaturated vapors that cannot exist otherwise, e.g. in spinodal decompositions or inhomogeneous nucleation environments. Here we show that polarization switching in ferroelectric-ferroelastic systems comprises domain types that differ by symmetry, lengthscale and switching energy. These domains switch simultaneously thanks to intermediate-range order of organized pinning sites, supporting the previously-unexplained coexistence of nucleation-and-growth and nucleation-frustrated mechanisms. Our treatment is applicable to other Kolmogorov-Avrami systems with multi-scale phase transitions. Finally, we demonstrate augmented electromechanical coupling based on the collective motion of pinning sites, which is promising for nano electro-mechanical and low-power switching devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗