In this work we present a simple pathway to obtain large single-crystal graphene on copper (Cu) foils with high growth rates using a commercially available cold-wall chemical vapour deposition (CVD) reactor. We show that graphene nucleation density is drastically reduced and crystal growth is accelerated when: i) using ex-situ oxidised foils; ii) performing annealing in an inert atmosphere prior to growth; iii) enclosing the foils to lower the precursor impingement flux during growth. Growth rates as high as 14.7 and 17.5 µm per minute are obtained on flat and folded foils, respectively. Thus, single-crystal grains with lateral size of about one millimetre can be obtained in just one hour. The samples are characterised by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy as well as selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), which confirm the high quality and homogeneity of the films. The development of a process for the quick production of large grain graphene in a commonly used commercial CVD reactor is a significant step towards an increased accessibility to millimetre-sized graphene crystals.

On the SiC(0001) surface (the silicon face of SiC), epitaxial graphene is obtained by sublimation of Si from the substrate. The graphene film is separated from the bulk by a carbon-rich interface layer (hereafter called the buffer layer) which in part covalently binds to the substrate. Its structural and electronic properties are currently under debate. In the present work we report scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies of the buffer layer and of quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene (QFMLG) that is obtained by decoupling the buffer layer from the SiC(0001) substrate by means of hydrogen intercalation. Atomic resolution STM images of the buffer layer reveal that, within the periodic structural corrugation of this interfacial layer, the arrangement of atoms is topologically identical to that of graphene. After hydrogen intercalation, we show that the resulting QFMLG is relieved from the periodic corrugation and presents no detectable defect sites.

2The ability of atomic hydrogen to chemisorb on graphene makes the latter a promising material for hydrogen storage. Based on scanning tunneling microscopy techniques, we report on site-selective adsorption of atomic hydrogen on convexly curved regions of monolayer graphene grown on SiC(0001).This system exhibits an intrinsic curvature owing to the interaction with the substrate. We show that at low coverage hydrogen is found on convex areas of the graphene lattice. No hydrogen is detected on concave regions. These findings are in agreement with theoretical models which suggest that both binding energy and adsorption barrier can be tuned by controlling the local curvature of the graphene lattice. This curvature-dependence combined with the known graphene flexibility may be exploited for storage and controlled release of hydrogen at room temperature making it a valuable candidate for the implementation of hydrogen-storage devices.

At present the only surface electron microscope which allows true characteristic XPEEM (photoemission electron microscopy using synchrotron radiation) and structural characterization is the spectroscopic LEEM developed at the Technical University Clausthal in the early nineties. This instrument has in the past been used mainly for LEEM studies of various surface and thin film phenomena, because it had very limited access to synchrotron radiation. Now the microscope is connected quasipermanently to the undulator beamline 6.2 at the storage ring ELETTRA, operating successfully since the end of 1996 under the name SPELEEM (Spectroscopic PhotoEmission and Low Energy Electron Microscope). The high brightness of the ELETTRA light source, together with an optimized instrument, results in a spatial resolution better than 25 nm and an energy resolution better than 0.5 eV in the XPEEM mode. The instrument can be used alternately for XPEEM, LEEM, LEED (low energy electron diffraction), MEM (mirror electron microscopy) and other imaging modes, depending upon the particular problem studied. The combination of these imaging modes allows a comprehensive characterization of the specimen. This is of particular importance when the chemical identification of structural features is necessary for the understanding of a surface or thin film process. In addition, PED (photoelectron diffraction) and VPEAD (valence photoelectron angular distribution) of small selected areas give local atomic configuration and band structure information, respectively.

The effect of electron quantum confinement on the surface reactivity of ultrathin metal films is explored by comparing the initial oxidation rate of atomically flat magnesium films of different thickness, using complementary microscopy techniques. Pronounced thickness-dependent variations in the oxidation rate are observed for well ordered films of up to 15 atomic layers. Quantitative comparison reveals direct correlation between the surface reactivity and the periodic changes in the density of electronic states induced by quantum-well states crossing the Fermi level.

The nanoscale spin structure of head-to-head domain walls in mesoscopic ferromagnetic rings has been studied by high-resolution nonintrusive photoemission electron microscopy as a function of both ring width (100-730 nm) and film thickness (2-38 nm). Depending on the geometry, two types of head-to-head domain walls are found (vortex and transverse walls). The experimental phase diagram, which identifies the transition between the wall types, is compared to analytical calculations of the energy and micromagnetic simulations, which are found to agree well with the experimental results.

The spin structure of head-to-head domain walls in Ni 80 Fe 20 structures is studied using high-resolution photoemission electron microscopy. The quantitative phase diagram is extracted from these measurements and found to exhibit two phase boundaries between vortex and transverse domain walls. The results are compared with available theoretical predictions and micromagnetic simulations and differences to the experiment are explained, taking into account thermal excitations. Temperature-dependent measurements show a thermally activated transformation of transverse to vortex domain walls in 7 nm thick and 730 nm wide structures at a transition temperature between 260°C and 310°C, which corresponds to a nucleation barrier height for a vortex wall between 6.7ϫ 10 −21 J and 8.0ϫ 10 −21 J.

The behavior of liquid Au–Si alloys on Si surfaces covered by a monolayer of gold has been investigated by ultrahigh-vacuum scanning electron microscopy. On the (111) surface, the alloy displays a constant contact angle with the surface from the eutectic temperature up to a temperature of 650 °C and thereafter the contact angle increases linearly with temperature. As observed in previous work, the shape of the liquid droplets changes from circular at lower temperature to hexagonal at higher temperature. In contrast, on the (100) surface, the contact angle increases linearly from the eutectic temperature to high temperature. The behavior of the shape of the droplets is, however, reversed: it is polygonal (octagonal) at lower temperature and becomes round at higher temperature. This behavior is explained in terms of the relative surface energy of the two surfaces and changing line tension of the liquid–solid–vapor phase line. In addition, the behavior of Au–Si droplets on vicinal and patterned surfaces of Si has been examined. The droplets cause step bunching and modify the local surface structure. Solidification of the droplets on all surfaces leads to phase separation.