Early development of graphene electronics

Graphene has recently emerged as a material likely to complement or eventually succeed silicon in electronics. From 2001 to 2004, groundbreaking research was pursued behind the scenes at Georgia Tech; various directions were explored, including exfoliation techniques and CVD growth, but epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide emerged as the most viable route. This document provides archival information that may otherwise be difficult to obtain, including two proposals on file with the NSF, submitted in 2001 and 2003, and the first graphene patent, filed in 2003. The 2001 document proposes much of the graphene research carried out during this decade, and the 2003 proposal includes the data that was eventually published in J. Phys. Chem. B in Dec. 2004. Note: Some personal information has been removed; original documents are available upon request. As was typical in the early days of graphene research, the terms graphite or monolayer graphite are used in some cases where the context clearly indicates that the material in question is graphene. Direct correspondence to: [email protected] ii Table of contents: NSF 2001 (NSF proposal number 0210634) COVER SHEET FOR PROPOSAL TO THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 1 2. Project Summary: Patterned Graphite Nanoelectronics 2 2.1 Electronic properties of graphitic nanostructures 4 2.1.1 Graphite ribbons 4 Similarities to nanotubes. 5