Low-temperature synthesis of graphene on Fe2O3 using inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

Graphene was directly synthesized at as low as 700°C on Fe2O3/Si substrate using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) chemical vapor deposition. By contrast, nanographene film was synthesized on SiO2 and sapphire even at 1000°C, suggesting that catalytic Fe elements on Fe2O3 played a critical role in graphene formation. Another key factor in results was the assistance of ICP, which significantly affected the growth kinetics. With increasing ICP power, the thickness of graphene was controllably reduced and ultimately self-limited to a single layer. Moreover, the crystal quality of graphene was constantly enhanced.