Obvious difference between protons and electrons irradiation on the performance of graphene devices

Abstract

The effects of energetic electron and proton irradiation on graphene-based devices were investigated. The focus of the study was on the electrical properties of graphene devices exposed to electron and proton beams. Field-effect transistors (FETs) were fabricated using graphene and then irradiated by high-energy electrons and protons of 40 keV that are comparable to the aerospace radiation environment. The deterioration of electric properties, especially the output and transfer characteristics, can be explained by the change of graphene lattice. The Raman spectra confirm the slight lattice deformation after electron irradiation and the structural damage after proton irradiation. Through comparison, it is also found that the proton irradiation will induce more severe influence on the devices than electron irradiation, due to the larger effective interaction radius of the proton.