Graphene Synthesized from Solid Carbon Source Using Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc Technique for Transparent Conducting and Field Effect Transistor Devices

Abstract

We present a low cost and scalable technique for the synthesis of graphene using solid carbon source. Filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique (FCVA) has been utilized to deposit amorphous carbon (a-C) films of thickness of 3 and 6 nm on nickel film grown on SiO2/Si substrate. Subsequently, a-C films were annealed at 750 and 800 degrees C in vacuum and cooled naturally to room temperature for transforming a-C films into graphene. These graphene films consist of regions of few layers. These films have been characterized using micro Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, transmittance and sheet resistance. Field effect transistor (FET) has also been fabricated using graphene to calculate the mobility. Transmittance, sheet resistance and mobility of graphene films are in the range of 85.5-89.3%, 540-720 Omega/square and similar to 725 cm(2) V-1 s(-1), respectively. The graphene derived from a-C films of 3 nm thickness showed minimum sheet resistance, maximum transmittance accompanied with the high mobility of FET. This demonstrates that the FCVA technique has potential to grow better quality graphene.