Wafer-scale graphene on SiC with uniform structural and electrical features is needed to realize graphene-based radio frequency devices and integrated circuits.Here,a continuous bi/trilayer of graphene with uniform structural and electrical features was grown on 2 inch 6H-SiC (0001) by etching before and after graphene growth.Optical and atomic force microscopy images indicate the surface morphology of graphene is uniform over the 2 inch wafer.Raman and transmittance spectra confirmed that its layer number was also uniform.Contactless resistance measurements indicated the average graphene sheet resistance was 720 /with a non-uniformity of 7.2%.Large area contactless mobility measurements gave a carrier mobility of about 450 cm2 /(V s) with an electron concentration of about 1.5×10 13 cm2.To our knowledge,such homogeneous morphology and resistance on wafer scale are among the best results reported for wafer-scale graphene on SiC.
JIA YuPing GUO LiWei LIN JingJing CHEN LianLian CHEN XiaoLong
Using novel ideas for the fabrication of epitaxial graphene （EG） on SiC, two forms of graphene termed as vertical aligned gra- phene sheets （VAGS） and graphene covered SiC powder （GCSP） were derived, respectively, from SiC slices and SiC powder, aimed for applications in energy storage and photocatalysis. Herein, the fabrication procedures, morphology characteristics, some intrinsic physical properties and performances for applications in field effect transistor （FET） and cold cathode field emission source are revealed and analyzed based on the graphene materials. The EG on a 2-inch SiC （0001） showed an average sheet resistance about 720 D,/~5 with a non-uniformity 7.2%. The FETs fabricated on the EG possessed a cutoff frequency 80 GHz. Based on the VAGS derived from a completely carbonized SiC slice, a magnetic phase diagram of graphene with irregu- lar zigzag edges is also reported.
The field emission （FE） properties of vertically aligned graphene sheets （VAGSs） grown on different SiC substrates are reported. The VAGSs grown on nonpolar SiC （10-10） substrate show an ordered alignment with the graphene basal plane-parallel to each other, and show better FE features, with a lower turn-on field and a larger field enhancement factor. The VAGSs grown on polar SiC （000-1 ） substrate reveal a random petaloid-shaped arrangement and stable current emission over 8 hours with a maximum emission current fluctuation of only 4%. The reasons behind the differing FE characteristics of the VAGSs on different SiC substrates are analyzed and discussed.
Intercalations of metals and silicon between epitaxial graphene and its substrates are reviewed. For metal intercala- tion, seven different metals have been successfully intercalated at the interface of graphene/Ru（O001） and form different intercalated structures. Meanwhile, graphene maintains its original high quality after the intercalation and shows features of weakened interaction with the substrate. For silicon intercalation, two systems, graphene on Ru（O001） and on Ir（l I 1）, have been investigated. In both cases, graphene preserves its high quality and regains its original superlative properties after the silicon intercalation. More importantly, we demonstrate that thicker silicon layers can be intercalated at the interface, which allows the atomic control of the distance between graphene and the metal substrates. These results show the great potential of the intercalation method as a non-damaging approach to decouple epitaxial graphene from its substrates and even form a dielectric layer for future electronic applications.
We report on temperature-programmed growth of graphene islands on Ru （0001） at annealing temperatures of 700 ℃, 800 ℃, and 900 ℃. The sizes of the islands each show a nonlinear increase with the annealing temperature. In 700 ℃ and 800 ℃annealings, the islands have nearly the same sizes and their ascending edges are embedded in the upper steps of the ruthenium substrate, which is in accordance with the etching growth mode. In 900 ℃ annealing, the islands are much larger and of lower quality, which represents the early stage of Smoluchowski ripening. A longer time annealing at 900 ℃ brings the islands to final equilibrium with an ordered moire pattern. Our work provides new details about graphene early growth stages that could facilitate the better control of such a growth to obtain graphene with ideal size and high quality.
