Graphene, a layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb-type structure, has attracted enormous interest since it was first isolated in 2004. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is one of the most common techniques to produce graphene but questions remain on how best to standardize its growth. Different designs of reactors, numerous sub-types of CVD (plasma-enhanced, low pressure…), catalytic metal foils that vary in surface chemistry and texture… these are all variables that are abundantly scrutinized in the literature. Despite the scattering of procedures and observations, it is rare to find comparative studies of graphene growth.
In this thesis, two thermal CVD reactors were explored to grow single–layer graphene (SLG) on a 50 μm copper foil. These set–ups were very different, one being a “showerhead” cold–wall type whereas the other one had a tubular hot-wall chamber. Their inner volume, gas flow limits, and heating rates were other differentiating factors. The work had three critical steps: pre–growth treatment of the metal foil, growth step and SLG transfer. All required absolute control to obtain high quality, uniform and cm2–scale SLG placed on a SiO2 substrate. Overall, and after standardizing the surface of the metal foil, it was possible to design a CVD recipe for the two reactors that differed only on the gas flow rates used. Thus, and contrary to an often-used argument in the literature, SLG growth recipes can be transferred amongst thermal CVD reactors.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:kaust.edu.sa/oai:repository.kaust.edu.sa:10754/656684 |
| Date | 18 June 2019 |
| Creators | Hakami, Marim A. |
| Contributors | Da Costa, Pedro M. F. J., Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division, Laquai, Frédéric, Li, Xiaohang |
| Source Sets | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | 2021-09-02, At the time of archiving, the student author of this thesis opted to temporarily restrict access to it. The full text of this thesis will become available to the public after the expiration of the embargo on 2021-09-02. |
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