Graphene: the ultimately thin sputtering shield

Scanning tunneling microscopy methods are applied to investigate the potential of monolayer graphene as a sputtering shield for the underlying metal substrate. To visualize the effect, a bare and a graphene protected Ir(111) surface are irradiated with 500 eV Xe⁺, as well as 200 eV Xe⁺ and Ar⁺ ions, all at 1000 K. By quantitatively evaluating the sputtered material from the surface vacancy island area, we find a drastic decrease in metal sputtering for the graphene protected surface. It is demonstrated that efficient sputter protection relies on self-repair of the ion damage in graphene, which takes place efficiently in the temperature range of chemical vapor deposition growth. Based on the generality of the underlying principles of ion damage, graphene self-repair, and graphene growth, we speculate that efficient sputter protection is possible for a broad range of metals and alloys. (paper)