| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/H015655/1 |
| Title: |
Substrate and polaronic band engineering for advanced graphene electronics |
| Principal Investigator: |
Hague, Dr JP |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Physical Sciences |
| Organisation: |
Open University |
| Scheme: |
First Grant - Revised 2009 |
| Starts: |
16 October 2009 |
Ends: |
15 April 2012 |
Value (£): |
69,180
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Condensed Matter Physics |
Materials Characterisation |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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01 Jul 2009
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Physical Sciences Panel - Materials
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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In recent decades silicon technology has fuelled a computer revolution, with an exponential increase in the power of microprocessors and the size of memory units, since the number of workable transistors on micro chips doubles every couple of years (this expansion is commonly known as Moore's law). However silicon based technologies will eventually reach a limit where the tiny components on silicon chips become almost as small as individual atoms, and this could happen as soon as the end of the next decade. In order to develop the next generation of electronics a different approach is needed and a new semiconductor material is needed. Graphene may be that material.Graphite is made up of layers which can slide over each other. To make graphene, a single one of these layers must be isolated. Experimentalists have recently learned how to fashion quality samples of graphene but if computer chips are to be fabricated from graphene, then graphene layers must be placed on substrates of other materials. The aim of this theoretical project is to investigate how the electronic properties of graphene can be modified by placing a graphene layer on a substrate. The substrate has potential to affect the resultant electronics in two ways. (1) Static structural changes in the graphene layer can occur if atoms in the substrate do not line up exactly with the carbon atoms, which can change conductors to insulators or semiconductors under the right conditions. (2) Vibrations and distortions of the substrate can move with an electron in the graphene sheet to form a composite particle known as a polaron, which has strongly modified properties compared to a free electron. Advanced simulation techniques will be employed to solve the complicated quantum mechanics that is needed to describe the motion of polarons through graphene. The simulations will be used to explore the opportunities of using the substrate not just as a rigid scaffold for the graphene, but also as a means to enhance the properties of graphene for the design of advanced electronics.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.open.ac.uk |