Fabrication of large-scale graphene/2D-germanium heterostructure by intercalation

We report a large-scale, high-quality heterostructure composed of vertically-stacked graphene and two-dimensional (2D) germanium. The heterostructure is constructed by the intercalation-assisted technique. We first synthesize large-scale, single-crystalline graphene on Ir(111) surface and then intercalate germanium at the interface of graphene and Ir(111). The intercalated germanium forms a well-defined 2D layer with a 2 × 2 superstructure with respect to Ir(111). Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the 2D germanium has a double-layer structure. Raman characterizations show that the 2D germanium effectively weakens the interaction between graphene and Ir substrate, making graphene more like the intrinsic one. Further experiments of low-energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirm the formation of large-scale and high-quality graphene/2D-germanium vertical heterostructure. The integration of graphene with a traditional 2D semiconductor provides a platform to explore new physical phenomena in the future. (rapid communication)