Substrate considerations for graphene synthesis on thin copper films

作者：Howsare Casey A^*; Weng Xiaojun; Bojan Vince; Snyder David; Robinson Joshua A

来源：Nanotechnology, 2012, 23(13): 135601.

DOI：10.1088/0957-4484/23/13/135601

Chemical vapor deposition on copper substrates is a primary technique for synthesis of high quality graphene films over large areas. While well-developed processes are in place for catalytic growth of graphene on bulk copper substrates, chemical vapor deposition of graphene on thin films could provide a means for simplified device processing through the elimination of the layer transfer process. Recently, it was demonstrated that transfer-free growth and processing is possible on SiO2. However, the Cu/SiO2/Si material system must be stable at high temperatures for high quality transfer-free graphene. This study identifies the presence of interdiffusion at the Cu/SiO2 interface and investigates the influence of metal (Ni, Cr, W) and insulating (Si3N4, Al2O3, HfO2) diffusion barrier layers on Cu-SiO2 interdiffusion, as well as graphene structural quality. Regardless of barrier choice, we find the presence of Cu diffusion into the silicon substrate as well as the presence of Cu-Si-O domains on the surface of the copper film. As a result, we investigate the choice of a sapphire substrate and present evidence that it is a robust substrate for synthesis and processing of high quality, transfer-free graphene.

• 出版日期2012-4-6