Technology Commercialization and Partnerships | BSA 08-37 &13-12: Layer(s) of Graphene on Metals or Metal-Decorated Semiconductors

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Categories: advanced materials, nanotechnology

BSA 08-37 &13-12: Layer(s) of Graphene on Metals or Metal-Decorated Semiconductors

BNL Reference Number: BSA 08-37

Patent Status: Non-Provisional filed on April 2, 2010

Summary

Scanning electron micrographs of epitaxial graphene grown on ruthenium films atop patterned fused silica substrates.

Graphene has very interesting properties due to its electronic structure. For example, its thermal and electrical conductivities are extremely high and it is one of the strongest materials known. Making single layers of it, however, is challenging. This method of fabrication yields large area (square micrometer) regions of single-layer graphene produced on ruthenium surfaces. The monolayer graphene also conforms to patterns in a substrate.

Description

A transition metal having at least one crystallographic plane with an atomically smooth surface displaying crystalline order is subjected to a carefully controlled sequence of annealing steps. The annealing conditions are chosen so that the solubility of carbon in the transition metal changes appreciably over the annealing temperature range. When the transition metal is exposed to a source of carbon at high temperatures, whether from within its own bulk or from an external source, excess carbon is incorporated into the lattice. Under controlled cooling conditions, this carbon segregates to the surface and generates large areas of monolayer graphene.

Benefits

This method makes it practical to fabricate electronic, optical, mechanical, and magnetic devices from single-layer graphene.

Applications and Industries

Graphene is expected to play a large role in the developing spintronics field. Transistors made from graphene have been demonstrated, as have logic gates.