Transfer-free, lithography-free and fast growth of patterned CVD graphene directly on insulators by using sacrificial metal catalyst

Abstract

Chemical vapor deposited graphene suffers from two problems: transfer from metal catalysts to insulators, and photoresist induced degradation during patterning. Both result in macroscopic and microscopic damages such as holes, tears, doping, and contamination, translated into property and yield dropping. We attempt to solve the problems simultaneously. A nickel thin film is evaporated on SiO as a sacrificial catalyst, on which surface graphene is grown. A polymer (PMMA) support is spin-coated on the graphene. During the Ni wet etching process, the etchant can permeate the polymer, making the etching efficient. The PMMA/graphene layer is fixed on the substrate by controlling the surface morphology of Ni film during the graphene growth. After etching, the graphene naturally adheres to the insulating substrate. By using this method, transfer-free, lithography-free and fast growth of graphene realized. The whole experiment has good repeatability and controllability. Compared with graphene transfer between substrates, here, no mechanical manipulation is required, leading to minimal damage. Due to the presence of Ni, the graphene quality is intrinsically better than catalyst-free growth. The Ni thickness and growth temperature are controlled to limit the number of layers of graphene. The technology can be extended to grow other two-dimensional materials with other catalysts.

The Growth of Graphene on Ni–Cu Alloy Thin Films at a Low Temperature and Its Carbon Diffusion Mechanism

“…One of the applications of low temperature growth is the combination with direct growth technology, which makes it possible to directly grow graphene on a variety of substrates that cannot withstand very high temperatures. We combined this 600 °C graphene growth method with our previously-reported in situ growth technique [15,29] and obtained wafer-scale patterned graphene directly on the SiO 2 /Si substrate.…”

“…Besides, the graphene patterns and the positions on the substrate are identical to those of the sacrificial metal layer. By this method, we can grow graphene films of any pattern at any position on the substrate [15,29].…”

Practical Route for the Low-Temperature Growth of Large-Area Bilayer Graphene on Polycrystalline Nickel by Cold-Wall Chemical Vapor Deposition

“…The positive value of the average R Hall indicates that holes are the predominant charge carriers in the bilayer graphene. For comparison with the previous CVD method, our bilayer graphene exhibits a much lower average R s as compared to that of single–bilayer graphene grown on Cu at 1050 °C (∼1300 Ω sq –1 ), 46 bilayer graphene grown on Cu at 1060 °C (∼560 Ω sq –1 ), 11 and bilayer graphene grown on Ni at 1000 °C (1990 Ω sq –1 ) 47 but slightly higher than the value reported for bilayer graphene grown on the Cu–Ni alloy at 1000 °C (∼287 Ω sq –1 ). 48 …”

Graphene transfer methods: A review

“…14(e) and 14(f)), that can be extended beyond the current growth substrate. It is also possible to deposit graphene directly on an insulating substrate with the assistance of a coated catalyst rather than vapors, which can be removed by etching while preserving high-quality graphene [88]. One such method was reported by Guo et al, where graphene was deposited on a quartz substrate and the Ni sacrificial substrate was later on dissolved to produce a high-quality single layer of graphene [89].…”