Precise control of single- and bi-layer graphene growths on epitaxial Ni(111) thin film

In situ analysis was performed on the graphene growth in ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition by exposing the epitaxial Ni(111) thin film to benzene vapor at 873 K. It is shown that the highly uniform single- and bi-layer graphenes can be synthesized by the control of benzene exposure in the range of 10–105 langmuirs, reflecting a change in the graphene growth-rate by three orders of magnitude in between the first and second layer. Electron energy loss spectroscopy measurements of single- and bi-layer graphenes indicates that the interface interaction between bi-layer graphene and Ni(111) is weakened in comparison with that between single-layer graphene and Ni(111). It is also clarified from the micro-Raman analysis that the structural and electrical uniformities of the graphene film transformed on a SiO2 substrate are improved remarkably under the specific exposure conditions at which the growths of single- and bi-layer graphenes are completed.