Densely Aligned Graphene Nanoribbons at ~35 nm Pitch

We demonstrate the fabrication of high-density aligned graphene nanoribbon (GNR) arrays by plasma etching of graphene sheets through a nanomask derived from self-assembled poly (styrene-block-dimethylsiloxane) (PS–PDMS) diblock copolymer films. This approach produces parallel GNR (~12 nm wide) arrays at ~35 nm pitch. Microscopy and polarized Raman spectroscopy are used to reveal the high-degree of alignment of GNRs. Electrical measurements show that parallel GNRs in a 1 μm wide region can deliver ~0.38 mA current at a source–drain bias of 1 V. This novel patterning approach allows for the fabrication of densely aligned GNR arrays on various substrates and could provide a route to large scale integration of GNRs into nanoelectronics, optoelectronics and biosensors.