Direct chemical vapor deposition of graphene on dielectric surfaces

• US 8,709,881 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Zhang, Yuegang, Ismach, Ariel
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thao
• Assistant Examiner(s): GORDON, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US13/098,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20110269299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 257/44, 257/213, 257/E21.4, 438/142, 438/197, 216/78, 977/734
• US Class Current: 438/142
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0281 of metallic sub-layers C23C16/029 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/303 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02491 Conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02527 Carbon, e.g. diamond-like carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02664 Aftertreatments planarisation in general H01L21/304

Abstract

A substrate is provided that has a metallic layer on a substrate surface of a substrate. A film made of a two dimensional (2-D) material, such as graphene, is deposited on a metallic surface of the metallic layer. The metallic layer is dewet and/or removed to provide the film on the substrate surface.

Claims

1. A method of providing a two-dimensional (2-D) material on a substrate, comprising:

providing the substrate having a substrate surface and a metallic layer formed on the substrate surface, wherein the metallic layer has a metallic surface;

depositing a film on the metallic surface, wherein the film comprises the 2-D material; and

dewetting the metallic layer so that the film is provided on the substrate surface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the metallic layer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein removing the metallic layer comprises evaporating the metallic layer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises a wafer formed from a dielectric material and the substrate surface is a surface of the wafer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wafer is made from a dielectric material selected from a group consisting of quartz, sapphire, and fused silica.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises an insulating layer formed from a dielectric material, wherein the substrate surface comprises a surface of the insulating layer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the insulating layer is formed on a wafer made from a semiconductor material.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the insulating layer comprises a type of silicon oxide.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the substrate having the substrate surface and the metallic layer formed on the substrate surface further comprises forming the metallic layer on the substrate surface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein forming the metallic layer on the substrate surface further comprises forming the metallic layer on the substrate surface by an electron-beam physical vapor deposition process.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising heating the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein depositing the film on the metallic surface comprises applying a precursor to the metallic surface so that the precursor experiences catalytic decomposition on the metallic surface to form the film comprising the 2-D material during the heating of the substrate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein dewetting the metallic layer so that the film is formed on the substrate surface is caused by the heating of the substrate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein dewetting the metallic layer so that the film is formed on the substrate surface occurs after depositing the film on the metallic surface.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the metallic layer comprises copper.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein heating the substrate comprises heating the substrate to between about 900°

C. to 1000°

C.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the 2-D material is selected from a group comprising graphene and boron-nitride.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the graphene is either single-layer graphene or few-layer graphene.

19. A method of creating graphene, comprising:

providing a substrate having a substrate surface and a metallic layer formed on the substrate surface, wherein the metallic layer has a metallic surface;

depositing a carbon-based film on the metallic surface, wherein the carbon-based film comprises the graphene; and

dewetting the metallic layer so that the carbon-based film is provided on the substrate surface.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising removing the metallic layer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein removing the metallic layer comprises evaporating the metallic layer.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the carbon-based film has a location with a Raman signature that measures intensity in arbitrary units versus Raman shift in cm⁻

1 and the Raman signature has a G-band and G′

-band with a ratio between a peak intensity of a G-band and a peak intensity of the G′

-band that is less than one (1) after the carbon-based film is provided on the substrate surface.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein providing the substrate having the substrate surface and the metallic layer formed on the substrate surface includes providing the metallic layer with a thickness between about 20 nanometers to 1 micrometer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein providing the substrate having the substrate surface and the metallic layer formed on the substrate surface includes providing the metallic layer so that the thickness is between about 100 nanometers to 450 nanometers.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the metallic layer comprises copper.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising heating the substrate.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein depositing the carbon-based film on the metallic surface comprises applying a precursor during the heating of the substrate, the precursor comprising a hydrocarbon that experiences catalytic decomposition on the metallic surface to form the graphene.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the graphene is either single-layer graphene or few-layer graphene.