I will give basic introduction into the physics and technology of graphene, a one atom thick hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms. Starting from the elementary electronic sp2 bonding states between adjacent carbon atoms, I will show how the two-dimensional electronic bandstructure of graphene is be obtained. The role of the Schrodinger equation is replaced by the so-called Dirac equation, which decribes a two-component wave function. This leads to very rich physics and a interesting analogy with high energy physics. From an experimental point of view I will give a demonstration of the Scotch tape technique which made it possible to obtain single graphene layers for the first time. This made it possible to observed new effects, such as the anomalous quantum Hall effect, in field effect transistors based on single graphene layers. Various techniques to improve the quality and/or the quantity of the graphene layers will be discussed, including suspended graphene and techniques to grow graphene on various substrates. Finally a future outlook will be given. |