Silicon-Carbon Bond Inversions Driven by 60-keV Electrons in Graphene

Author(s)
Toma Susi, Jani Kotakoski, Demie Kepaptsoglou, Clemens Mangler, Tracy C. Lovejoy, Ondrej L. Krivanek, Recep Zan, Ursel Bangert, Paola Ayala, Jannik C. Meyer, Quentin Ramasse
Abstract

We demonstrate that 60-keV electron irradiation drives the diffusion of threefold-coordinated Si dopants in graphene by one lattice site at a time. First principles simulations reveal that each step is caused by an electron impact on a C atom next to the dopant. Although the atomic motion happens below our experimental time resolution, stochastic analysis of 38 such lattice jumps reveals a probability for their occurrence in a good agreement with the simulations. Conversions from three- to fourfold coordinated dopant structures and the subsequent reverse process are significantly less likely than the direct bond inversion. Our results thus provide a model of nondestructive and atomically precise structural modification and detection for two-dimensional materials.

Organisation(s)
Electronic Properties of Materials, Physics of Nanostructured Materials
External organisation(s)
University of Helsinki, SuperSTEM Daresbury, Nion Co, University of Manchester, Niğde University, University of Limerick
Journal
Physical Review Letters
Volume
113
No. of pages
5
ISSN
0031-9007
Publication date
09-2014
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
210006 Nanotechnology, 103018 Materials physics, 103008 Experimental physics, 103009 Solid state physics
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
General Physics and Astronomy
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/ac969940-cb70-43f8-984e-35d8d2dfd07f