Iron-mediated growth of epitaxial graphene on SiC and diamond

Ordered graphene films have been fabricated on Fe-treated SiC and diamond surfaces using the catalytic conversion of sp(3) to sp(2) carbon. In comparison with the bare SiC(0 0 0 1) surface, the graphitization temperature is reduced from over 1000 degrees C to 600 degrees C and for diamond (111), this new approach enables epitaxial graphene to be grown on this surface for the first time. For both substrates, a key development is the in situ monitoring of the entire fabrication process using real-time electron spectroscopy that provides the necessary precision for the production of films of controlled thickness. The quality of the graphene/graphite layers has been verified using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction. Graphene is only formed on treated regions of the surface and so this offers a method for fabricating and patterning graphene structures on SiC and diamond in the solid-state at industrially realistic temperatures. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.