Selective epitaxial growth of graphene on SiC

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel selective epitaxial growth technique for graphene on SiC using patterned AlN layers, enabling precise control of graphene formation through sublimation, validated by Raman spectroscopy.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a new method for selective graphene growth on SiC substrates via patterned AlN layers and sublimation control, advancing fabrication precision.

Findings

Successful selective growth of graphene confirmed by Raman spectroscopy.

Patterned AlN layers enable localized sublimation of Si from SiC.

Method allows for controlled, patterned graphene fabrication.

Abstract

We present an innovative method of selective epitaxial growth of few layers graphene (FLG) on a pre-patterned SiC substrate. The methods involves, successively, the sputtering of a thin AlN layer on top of a mono-crystalline SiC substrate and, then, patterning it with e-beam lithography (EBL) and wet etching. The sublimation of few atomic layers of Si from the SiC substrate occurs only through the selectively etched AlN layer. The presence of the Raman G-band at ~1582 cm-1 in the AlN-free areas is used to validate the concept, it gives absolute evidence of the selective FLG growth.