Scanning probe assisted local oxidation nanolithography of CVD grown graphene on Ge(l00)

We report on the morphological investigation of nanoscale thick patterns obtained by the scanning probe assisted local oxidation technique on graphene layers grown directly on Ge (100) substrates using CVD technique. Protruding mounds and lines are produced by applying a negative voltage to the atomic force microscope probe while translating the probe tip across the sample surface. The main features of the local oxide produced and the differences with respect to similar experiments conducted on Ge or Si samples are presented.