Direct writing on graphene ‘paper’ by manipulating electrons as ‘invisible ink’

Abstract

The combination of self-assembly (bottom up) and nano-imprint lithography (top down) is an efficient and effective way to record information at the nanoscale by writing. The use of an electron beam for writing is quite a promising strategy; however, the 'paper' on which to save the information is not yet fully realized. Herein, graphene was selected as the thinnest paper for recording information at the nanoscale. In a transmission electron microscope, in situ high precision writing and drawing were achieved on graphene nanosheets by manipulating electrons with a 1 nm probe (probe current ~2 × 10(-9) A m(-2)) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) mode. Under electron probe irradiation, the carbon atom tends to displace within a crystalline specimen, and dangling bonds are formed from the original sp(2) bonding after local carbon atoms have been kicked off. The absorbed random foreign amorphous carbon assembles along the line of the scanning direction induced by secondary electrons and is immobilized near the edge. With the ultralow secondary electron yield of the graphene, additional foreign atoms determining the accuracy of the pattern have been greatly reduced near the targeting region. Therefore, the electron probe in STEM mode serves as invisible ink for nanoscale writing and drawing. These results not only shed new light on the application of graphene by the interaction of different forms of carbon, but also illuminate the interaction of different carbon forms through electron beams.

Conformational transitions and stop-and-go nanopore transport of single-stranded DNA on charged graphene

“…The atomically thin structure of graphene and its straightforward layerability allows the membrane thickness to be precisely controlled at the scale comparable to the distance between neighboring nucleotides in a DNA strand. Recent advances in transmission electron microscopy, 9 developing lithography 10 and bottom-up growth techniques 11 – 13 have enabled atomic-scale manufacturing of graphene-based nanostructures. Furthermore, the unique electrical properties of graphene offer, at least in theory, several plausible methods for DNA sequence detection, 14 including ionic current readout, 15 , 16 nanoribbon conductance, 17 – 20 and transverse tunneling.…”

The visual story of data storage: From storage properties to user interfaces

“…There have also been considerable efforts to create nanoscale data storage using graphene. A promising strategy addressed high precision writing and drawing on graphene nanosheets by manipulating electrons with a one nanometer-based probe [109] .…”

Nanopatterning of oxide 2-dimensional electron systems using low-temperature ion milling

“…In the latest years, several techniques have been used to realize nanodevices based on novel materials for advanced electronic applications, from ultra-high resolution electron beam lithography to direct writing using electron beams [15]. Specific device fabrication techniques were also developed soon after the discovery of the LAO/STO system.…”