Growth of atomically smooth MgO films on graphene by molecularbeam epitaxy

We investigate the growth of MgO films on graphene by molecular beam epitaxy and find that surface diffusion promotes a rough morphology. To reduce the mobility of surface atoms, the graphene surface is dressed by Ti atoms prior to MgO deposition. With as little as 0.5 ML (monolayer) of Ti, the MgO overlayer becomes atomically smooth. Furthermore, no aggregation of MgO is observed at the edges of the graphene sheet. These results are important for the fabrication of nanoscale electronic and spintronic devices.