High-Resolution Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Imaging of Mesoscopic Graphene Sheets on an Insulating Surface

We present scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of single-layer graphene crystals examined under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The samples, with lateral dimensions on the micron scale, were prepared on a silicon dioxide surface by direct exfoliation of single crystal graphite. The single-layer films were identified using Raman spectroscopy. Topographic images of single-layer samples display the honeycomb structure expected for the full hexagonal symmetry of an isolated graphene monolayer. The absence of observable defects in the STM images is indicative of the high quality of these films. Crystals comprised of a few layers of graphene were also examined. They exhibited dramatically different STM topography, displaying the reduced three-fold symmetry characteristic of the surface of bulk graphite.