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Controlled epitaxial graphene growth within removable amorphous carbon corrals

Authors :
James Palmer
Walt A. de Heer
Claire Berger
Yike Hu
John Hankinson
Zelei Guo
Jan Kunc
Source :
Applied Physics Letters. 105:023106
Publication Year :
2014
Publisher :
AIP Publishing, 2014.

Abstract

We address the question of control of the silicon carbide (SiC) steps and terraces under epitaxial graphene on SiC and demonstrate amorphous carbon (aC) corrals as an ideal method to pin SiC surface steps. aC is compatible with graphene growth, structurally stable at high temperatures, and can be removed after graphene growth. For this, aC is first evaporated and patterned on SiC, then annealed in the graphene growth furnace. There at temperatures above 1200 °C, mobile SiC steps accumulate at the aC corral that provide effective step flow barriers. Aligned step free regions are thereby formed for subsequent graphene growth at temperatures above 1330 °C. Atomic force microscopy imaging supports the formation of step-free terraces on SiC with the step morphology aligned to the aC corrals. Raman spectroscopy indicates the presence of good graphene sheets on the step-free terraces.

Details

ISSN :
10773118 and 00036951
Volume :
105
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Applied Physics Letters
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........7b16773e4e7c5b19632f9d7f333e21f5