Investigation of humidity-dependent size control of local anodic oxidation on graphene by using atomic force microscopy

We demonstrate nanoscale local anodic oxidation (LAO) patterning on few-layer graphene by using an atomic force microscope (AFM) at room temperature under a normal atmosphere. We focus on the humidity dependency of nanoscale oxidation of graphene. The relations between the oxidation size and the setting values of the AFM, such as the set point, tip speed, and the humidity, are observed. By changing these values, proper parameters were found to produce features with on-demand size. This technique provides an easy way for graphene oxide lithography without any chemical resists. We obtained oxidation sizes down to 50 nm with a 6-nm-high oxide barrier line by using a 0.1-μm/s tip scanning speed. We also obtained micrometer-sized symbols on a graphene flake. We attribute the bumps of oxidized graphene in the graphene layer to local anodic oxidation on graphenes surface and to an incorporation of oxygen ions into the graphene lattice.