Multiple π-bands and Bernal stacking of multilayer graphene on C-face SiC, revealed by nano-Angle Resolved Photoemission

Only a single linearly dispersing π-band cone, characteristic of monolayer graphene, has so far been observed in Angle Resolved Photoemission (ARPES) experiments on multilayer graphene grown on C-face SiC. A rotational disorder that effectively decouples adjacent layers has been suggested to explain this. However, the coexistence of μm-sized grains of single and multilayer graphene with different azimuthal orientations and no rotational disorder within the grains was recently revealed for C-face graphene, but conventional ARPES still resolved only a single π-band. Here we report detailed nano-ARPES band mappings of individual graphene grains that unambiguously show that multilayer C-face graphene exhibits multiple π-bands. The band dispersions obtained close to the K-point moreover clearly indicate, when compared to theoretical band dispersion calculated in the framework of the density functional method, Bernal (AB) stacking within the grains. Thus, contrary to earlier claims, our findings imply a similar interaction between graphene layers on C-face and Si-face SiC.