Characterizing silicon intercalated graphene grown epitaxially on Ir films by atomic force microscopy

An efficient method based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been developed to characterize silicon intercalated graphene grown on single crystalline Ir(111) thin films. By combining analyses of the phase image, force curves, and friction–force mapping, acquired by AFM, the locations and coverages of graphene and silicon oxide can be well distinguished. We can also demonstrate that silicon atoms have been successfully intercalated between graphene and the substrate. Our method gives an efficient and simple way to characterize graphene samples with interacted atoms and is very helpful for future applications of graphene-based devices in the modern microelectronic industry, where AFM is already widely used.