Transfer-free, lithography-free and fast growth of patterned CVD graphene directly on insulators by using sacrificial metal catalyst

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Abstract
Chemical vapor deposited graphene suffers from two problems: transfer from metal catalysts to insulators, and photoresist induced degradation during patterning. Both result in macroscopic and microscopic damages such as holes, tears, doping, and contamination, translated into property and yield dropping. We attempt to solve the problems simultaneously. A nickel thin film is evaporated on SiO2 as a sacrificial catalyst, on which surface graphene is grown. A polymer (PMMA) support is spin-coated on the graphene. During the Ni wet etching process, the etchant can permeate the polymer, making the etching efficient. The PMMA/graphene layer is fixed on the substrate by controlling the surface morphology of Ni film during the graphene growth. After etching, the graphene naturally adheres to the insulating substrate. By using this method, transfer-free, lithography-free and fast growth of graphene realized. The whole experiment has good repeatability and controllability. Compared with graphene transfer between substrates, here, no mechanical manipulation is required, leading to minimal damage. Due to the presence of Ni, the graphene quality is intrinsically better than catalyst-free growth. The Ni thickness and growth temperature are controlled to limit the number of layers of graphene. The technology can be extended to grow other two-dimensional materials with other catalysts.
Funding Information
  • Beijing Municipal Commission of Science and Technology (Z161100002116032)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality (4172009)
  • Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (CH2015-6202)
  • Beijing Municipal Commission of Education (PXM2017_014204_500034)
  • National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFB0403102, 2018YFA0209000)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (11674016)

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