Gate-tunable photoemission from graphene transistors

Abstract

In this Letter, we report gate-tunable X-ray photoelectron emission from back-gated graphene transistors. The back-gated transistor geometry allows us to study photoemission from graphene layer and the dielectric substrate at various gate voltages. Application of gate voltage electrostatically dopes graphene and shifts the binding energy of photoelectrons in various ways depending on the origin and the generation mechanism(s) of the emitted electrons. The gate-induced shift of the Fermi energy of graphene alters the binding energy of the C 1s electrons, whereas the electric field of the gate electrodes shift the binding energy of core electrons emitted from the gate dielectric underneath the graphene layer. The gradual change of the local potential through depths of the gate dielectric provides quantitative electrical information about buried interfaces. Our results suggest that gate-tunable photoemission spectra with chemically specific information linked with local electrical properties opens new routes to elucidating operation of devices based especially on layered materials.