Fabrication of graphene nanostructures by probe nanoablation

We present the results of the study of graphene nanoablation under mechanical stress of an ultrasharp (the rounding radius is ∼2 nm) tip of a scanning probe microscope (SPM)). It was found that the SPM probe contact with graphene results in average removal of 7 · 10−3−5 · 10−2 nm of film per scan, i.e., only a few carbon atoms or clusters, in the impact area. The capability of this precision nanoablation process was shown in developing graphene nanoislands and nanoribbons ∼1 µm long and ∼10 nm wide.