Structures having isolated graphene layers with a reduced dimension

• US 9,768,026 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Solan, LLC
• Original Assignee: Solan, LLC
• Inventors: Davis, Mark Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): POLLEY, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US14/396,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20150147540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B82B 1/00 Nanostructures formed by manipulation of individual atoms or molecules, or limited collections of atoms or molecules as discrete units
• CPC Class Codes: B82B 1/005 Constitution or structural means for improving the physical properties of a device
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2204/04 Specific amount of layers or specific thickness
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/184 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/205 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/0026 Apparatus for manufacturing conducting or semi-conducting layers, e.g. deposition of metal
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0226 formation by a deposition process per se C23C
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02263 deposition from the gas or vapour phase
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02373 Group 14 semiconducting materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02527 Carbon, e.g. diamond-like carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02639 Preparation of substrate for selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02645 Seed materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/042 Changing their shape, e.g. forming recesses etching of the semiconductor body H01L21/302
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/30604 Chemical etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0684 : characterised by the shape, relative sizes or dispositions of the semiconductor regions or junctions between the regions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1606 : Graphene
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24851 : Intermediate layer is discontinuous or differential

Abstract

Graphite-based devices with a reduced characteristic dimension and methods for forming such devices are provided. One or more thin films are deposited onto a substrate and undesired portions of the deposited thin film or thin films are removed to produce processed elements with reduced characteristic dimensions. Graphene layers are generated on selected processed elements or exposed portions of the substrate after removal of the processed elements. Multiple sets of graphene layers can be generated, each with a different physical characteristic, thereby producing a graphite-based device with multiple functionalities in the same device.

Claims

1. A graphite-based structure, comprising:

(A) a substrate;

(B) a plurality of elements formed on the substrate, each element in the plurality of elements comprising a supporting part and one or more accompanying parts, wherein

(i) a first accompanying part in the one or more accompanying parts is formed on a side of the supporting part, and

(i) the first accompanying part has a first width that is less than a width of the corresponding supporting part, wherein the first width is between 2 nm and 100 nm; and

(C) a first plurality of graphene layers, wherein each respective graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers is formed on a top surface of a first accompanying part of a corresponding element in the plurality of elements.

2. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of trenches, wherein each respective element in the plurality of elements is separated from an adjacent element in the plurality of elements by a corresponding trench in the plurality of trenches.

3. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each respective element in the plurality of elements comprises the same material as the supporting part of the respective element.

4. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each respective element in the plurality of elements comprises a different material than the supporting part of the respective element.

5. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each element in the plurality of elements comprises a foundation material.

6. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each respective element in the plurality of elements comprises silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), germanium (Ge), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu) or palladium (Pd).

7. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each respective element in the plurality of elements has a substantially same height as the supporting part of the respective element.

8. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each respective element in the plurality of elements has a different height than the supporting part of the respective element.

9. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each respective element in the plurality of elements has a height differential relative to the supporting part of the respective element that is between 2 nm and 100 nm.

10. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first part of each respective element in the plurality of elements has a height that is between 25 nm and 1000 nm.

11. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each respective element in the plurality of elements has a height that is 1 μ

m and 5 μ

m.

12. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first accompanying part of each respective element in the plurality of elements has a height that is 5 μ

m and 10 μ

m.

13. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the first width is between 2 nm and 50 nm.

14. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein each graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers consists of between 1 and 50 graphene sheets.

15. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein each graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers consists of between 50 and 100 graphene sheets.

16. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein each graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers consists of between 100 and 500 graphene sheets.

17. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, wherein the one or more accompanying parts in each element in the plurality of elements further comprises a second accompanying part, the graphite-based structure further comprising:

a second plurality of graphene layers, wherein each respective graphene layer in the second plurality of graphene layers is formed on a top surface of a second accompanying part of a corresponding element in the plurality of elements, wherein

(i) each respective second accompanying part is formed on a side of the corresponding supporting part different than a side that the corresponding first accompanying part is formed in each respective element in the plurality of elements, and

(ii) each respective second accompanying part has a second width that is less than a width of the corresponding supporting part in the corresponding element, the second width being between 2 nm and 100 nm.

18. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein each respective second accompanying part is made of the same material as the corresponding first accompanying part in each element in the plurality of elements.

19. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein each respective second accompanying part is made of a different material than the corresponding first accompanying part in each element in the plurality of elements.

20. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein each respective second accompanying part has the same height as each corresponding first accompanying part in each element in the plurality of elements.

21. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein each respective second accompanying part has a different height than each corresponding first accompanying part in each element in the plurality of elements.

22. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein each graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers has a substantially same width as each graphene layer in the second plurality of graphene layers.

23. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein each graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers has a different width each graphene layer in the second plurality of graphene layers.

24. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein

each graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers has a width that is between 25 nm and 35 nm;

and

each graphene layer in the second plurality of graphene layers has a width that is between 65 nm and 75 nm.

25. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein a graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers has the same number of graphene sheets as a graphene layer in the second plurality of graphene layers.

26. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein a graphene layer in the first plurality of graphene layers has a different number of graphene sheets than a graphene layer in the second plurality of graphene layers.

27. The graphite-based structure of claim 17, wherein the one or more accompanying parts in each element in the plurality of elements further comprises a third accompanying part, and wherein the graphite-based structure further comprises:

a third plurality of graphene layers, wherein each respective graphene layer in the third plurality of graphene layers is formed on a top surface of a third accompanying part of a corresponding element in the plurality of elements, wherein

(i) each respective third accompanying part is formed is formed on a side of the corresponding supporting part different than a side on which the corresponding first accompanying part or second accompanying part is formed in each respective element in the plurality of elements, and

(ii) each respective third accompanying part has a third width that is less than a width of the corresponding supporting part in the corresponding element, the third width being between 2 nm and 100 nm.

28. The graphite-based structure of claim 26, wherein each respective third accompanying part is made of the same material as the corresponding first accompanying part and the corresponding second accompanying part in each element in the plurality of elements.

29. The graphite-based structure of claim 26, wherein a respective third accompanying part is made of a different material than the corresponding first accompanying part and the corresponding second accompanying part in an element in the plurality of elements.

30. The graphite-based structure of claim 26, wherein each respective third accompanying part has a same height as each corresponding first accompanying part and second accompanying part in each element in the plurality of elements.

31. The graphite-based structure of claim 26, wherein each respective third accompanying part has a different height than each corresponding first accompanying part and second accompanying part in each element in the plurality of elements.

32. The graphite-based structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth plurality of graphene layers, wherein each graphene layer in the fourth plurality of graphene layers is generated on the supporting part in a corresponding element in the plurality of elements, wherein each graphene layer in the fourth plurality of graphene layers has between 1 and 500 graphene sheets and a width between 50 nm and 1000 nm.