We have examined the influence of flake-substrate effects that affect one and few layers of MoS ₂ in terms of their electrical and optical properties. In the measurements, we used SiO ₂ /Si substrates with etched cavities and aluminum electrodes. Suspended areas are easily identifiable both on images depicting the topography and on the surface potential maps measured with the Kelvin probe force microscopy. Compared to the SiO ₂ /Si supported material, surface potential decrease is observable at the membrane. The surface potential value of the flakes located on the electrodes is the lowest. PL measurements prove that single MoS ₂ monolayer was obtained. Suspended regions are also correlated with maps obtained as a result of Raman spectroscopy.

Graphene, a self‐supporting monolayer, has excited enormous interest over the 10 years since its discovery due to its remarkable electrical, mechanical thermal and chemical properties. Here the authors describe the authors’ work developing chemical vapour deposition methods to grow monolayer graphene on copper foil substrates and the subsequent transfer process. Raman microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy are used to examine the quality of the transferred material. To demonstrate the process, they also describe transfer onto patterned SiO ₂ /Si substrate which forms free suspended graphene drums. These show interesting mechanical properties which are being explored as nanomechanical resonators.

Boron doped diamond (BDD) has great potential in electrical, and electrochemical sensing applications. The growth parameters, substrates, and synthesis method play a vital role in the preparation of semiconducting BDD to metallic BDD. Doping of other elements along with boron (B) into diamond demonstrated improved efficacy of B doping and exceptional properties. In the present study, B and nitrogen (N) co-doped diamond has been synthesized on single crystalline diamond (SCD) IIa and SCD Ib substrates in a microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition process. The B/N co-doping into CVD diamond has been conducted at constant N flow of N/C ∼ 0.02 with three different B/C doping concentrations of B/C ∼ 2500 ppm, 5000 ppm, 7500 ppm. Atomic force microscopy topography depicted the flat and smooth surface with low surface roughness for low B doping, whereas surface features like hillock structures and un-epitaxial diamond crystals with high surface roughness were observed for high B doping concentrations. KPFM measurements revealed that the work function (4.74–4.94 eV) has not varied significantly for CVD diamond synthesized with different B/C concentrations. Raman spectroscopy measurements described the growth of high-quality diamond and photoluminescence studies revealed the formation of high-density nitrogen-vacancy centers in CVD diamond layers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirmed the successful B doping and the increase in N doping with B doping concentration. The room temperature electrical resistance measurements of CVD diamond layers (B/C ∼ 7500 ppm) have shown the low resistance value ∼9.29 Ω for CVD diamond/SCD IIa, and the resistance value ∼16.55 Ω for CVD diamond/SCD Ib samples.