We report on the structural and electronic properties of graphene grown on SiC by high-temperature sublimation. We have studied thickness uniformity of graphene grown on 4H-SiC(0001), 6H-SiC(0001), and 3C-SiC(111) substrates and investigated in detail graphene surface morphology and electronic properties. Differences in the thickness uniformity of the graphene layers on different SiC polytypes is related mainly to the minimization of the terrace surface energy during the step bunching process. It is also shown that a lower substrate surface roughness results in more uniform step bunching and consequently better quality of the grown graphene. We have compared the three SiC polytypes with a clear conclusion in favor of 3C-SiC. Localized lateral variations in the Fermi energy of graphene are mapped by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy. It is found that the overall single-layer graphene coverage depends strongly on the surface terrace width, where a more homogeneous coverage is favored by wider terraces. It is observed that the step distance is a dominating, factor in determining the unintentional doping of graphene from the SiC substrate. Microfocal spectroscopic ellipsometry mapping of the electronic properties and thickness of epitaxial graphene on 3C-SiC (111) is also reported. Growth of one monolayer graphene is demonstrated on both Si-and C-polarity of the 3C-SiC substrates and it is shown that large area homogeneous single monolayer graphene can be achieved on the Si-face substrates. Correlations between the number of graphene monolayers on one hand and the main transition associated with an exciton enhanced van Hove singularity at ∼4.5 eV and the free-charge carrier scattering time, on the other are established. It is shown that the interface structure on the Si-and C-polarity of the 3C-SiC(111) differs and has a determining role for the thickness and electronic properties homogeneity of the epitaxial graphene.

Unraveling the doping-related charge carrier scattering mechanisms in two-dimensional materials such as graphene is vital for limiting parasitic electrical conductivity losses in future electronic applications. While electric field doping is well understood, assessment of mobility and density as a function of chemical doping remained a challenge thus far. In this work, we investigate the effects of cyclically exposing epitaxial graphene to controlled inert gases and ambient humidity conditions, while measuring the Lorentz force-induced birefringence in graphene at Terahertz frequencies in magnetic fields. This technique, previously identified as the optical analogue of the electrical Hall effect, permits here measurement of charge carrier type, density, and mobility in epitaxial graphene on silicon-face silicon carbide. We observe a distinct, nearly linear relationship between mobility and electron charge density, similar to field-effect induced changes measured in electrical Hall bar devices previously. The observed doping process is completely reversible and independent of the type of inert gas exposure.

In this work, we report a muti-scale investigation using several nano-, micro and macro-scale techniques of few layer graphene (FLG) sample consisting of large monolayer (ML) and bilayer (BL) areas grown on C-face 4H-SiC (000-1) by high-temperature sublimation. Single 1×1 diffraction patterns are observed by micro-low-energy electron diffraction for ML, BL and trilayer graphene with no indication of out-of-plane rotational disorder. A SiO x layer is identified between graphene and SiC by X-ray photoelectron emission spectroscopy and reflectance measurements. The chemical composition of the interface layer changes towards SiO 2 and its thickness increases with aging in normal ambient conditions. The formation mechanism of the inter- *

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