Investigation of the effect of low energy ion beam irradiation on mono-layer graphene

In this paper, the effect of low energy irradiation on mono-layer graphene was studied. Mono-layer graphene films were irradiated with B, N and F ions at different energy and fluence. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that foreign ions implanted at ion energies below 35 eV could dope into the graphene lattice and form new chemical bonds with carbon atoms. The results of Raman measurement indicate that ion beam irradiation causes defects and disorder to the graphene crystal structure, and the level of defects increases with increasing of ion energy and fluence. Surface morphology images also prove that ion beam irradiation creates damages to graphene film. The experiment results suggest that low-energy irradiation with energies of about 30 eV and fluences up to 5·1014 cm−2 could realize small amount of doping, while introducing weak damage to graphene. Low energy ion beam irradiation, provides a promising approach for controlled doping of graphene.