Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published August 14, 2020 | Accepted Version + Supplemental Material
Journal Article Open

Direct Large-Area Growth of Graphene on Silicon for Potential Ultra-Low-Friction Applications and Silicon-Based Technologies

Abstract

Deposition of layers of graphene on silicon has the potential for a wide range of optoelectronic and mechanical applications. However, direct growth of graphene on silicon has been difficult due to the inert, oxidized silicon surfaces. Transferring graphene from metallic growth substrates to silicon is not a good solution either, because most transfer methods involve multiple steps that often lead to polymer residues or degradation of sample quality. Here we report a single-step method for large-area direct growth of continuous horizontal graphene sheets and vertical graphene nano-walls on silicon substrates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) without active heating. Comprehensive studies utilizing Raman spectroscopy, x-ray/ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS/UPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical transmission are carried out to characterize the quality and properties of these samples. Data gathered by the residual gas analyzer (RGA) during the growth process further provide information about the synthesis mechanism. Additionally, ultra-low friction (with a frictional coefficient ~0.015) on multilayer graphene-covered silicon surface is achieved, which is approaching the superlubricity limit (for frictional coefficients <0.01). Our growth method therefore opens up a new pathway towards scalable and direct integration of graphene into silicon technology for potential applications ranging from structural superlubricity to nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and even the next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

Additional Information

© 2020 IOP Publishing Ltd. Received 14 February 2020; Accepted 5 May 2020; Accepted Manuscript online 5 May 2020; Published 4 June 2020. This work at Caltech was jointly supported by the National Science Foundation under the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM), Award #1733907, and the Army Research Office under the Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) program, Award #W911NF-16-1-0472. W -S T and C -I Wu gratefully acknowledge the support from the Dragon-Gate Program (MoST 107-2911-I-002-576) under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) in Taiwan for supporting their visit to Caltech and the collaborative research. Y -C C acknowledges the support from the Dragon-Gate Program (MoST 106-2911-I-007-520) under MoST in Taiwan for supporting his visit to Caltech. The authors thank Professor George Rossman for the use of his Raman spectrometer, and acknowledge the use of the XPS/UPS, AFM facilities at the Beckman Institute and the use of the SEM system at the Kavli Nanoscience Institute. We also thank Professor Quanshui Zheng at Tsinghua University in China for helpful discussions on topics of structural superlubricity and for providing the DLC substrates.

Attached Files

Accepted Version - Tseng+et+al_2020_Nanotechnology_10.1088_1361-6528_ab9045.pdf

Supplemental Material - NANO_31_33_335602_suppdata.pdf

Files

Tseng+et+al_2020_Nanotechnology_10.1088_1361-6528_ab9045.pdf
Files (2.9 MB)
Name Size Download all
md5:407b81892708e21ee0c9a78e8bad29fa
1.4 MB Preview Download
md5:0f013a3ad5b07adcbafd132d7a4eb81d
1.5 MB Preview Download

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 20, 2023