Method and system for graphene formation

Abstract

A method for forming graphene includes providing a substrate, subjecting the substrate to a reduced pressure environment, and providing a carrier gas and a carbon source. The method also includes exposing at least a portion of the substrate to the carrier gas, the carbon source, and at least one atmospheric gas and performing a CMOS compatible etching process on the at least a portion of the substrate. The method further includes performing, concurrently with the performing the CMOS compatible etching process, a CMOS compatible graphene growth process to convert a portion of the carbon source to graphene on the at least a portion of the substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for forming graphene, the method comprising:
 providing a substrate;   subjecting the substrate to a reduced pressure environment;   providing a carrier gas;   providing a carbon source;   exposing at least a portion of the substrate to the carrier gas, the carbon source, and at least one atmospheric gas;   performing a CMOS compatible etching process on the at least a portion of the substrate; and   performing, concurrently with the performing the CMOS compatible etching process, a CMOS compatible graphene growth process to convert a portion of the carbon source to graphene on the at least a portion of the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises a copper foil and the CMOS compatible etching process comprises removal of copper from the copper foil. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reduced pressure environment comprises a vacuum environment between 25 mTorr and 0.5 Torr. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the carrier gas comprises hydrogen and the carbon source comprises methane. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing the carrier gas and providing the carbon source are performed concurrently. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the carbon source makes up less than 0.6% of a flow containing the carrier gas, the carbon source, and the at least one atmospheric gas. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the carbon source makes up less than 0.1% of the flow. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the at least one atmospheric gas comprises nitrogen gas. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a Raman spectra for the graphene is characterized by a ratio of a first Raman peak associated with defects to a second Raman peak associated with graphite of less than one. 
     
     
         10 . A method of forming a film of graphene, the method comprising:
 placing a substrate on a holder in a processing chamber at a reduced pressure, wherein the processing chamber includes at least one atmospheric gas;   performing a CMOS compatible surface treatment process on at least a portion of the substrate;   providing a carbon containing material in the processing chamber;   exposing the substrate to the carbon containing material; and   converting, by a CMOS compatible growth process, a portion of the carbon containing material to the film of graphene.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising providing hydrogen gas and exposing the substrate to the hydrogen gas prior to performing the CMOS compatible surface treatment process. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the CMOS compatible surface treatment process comprises an RF hydrogen plasma cleaning process. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  where the substrate comprises a copper foil. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the reduced pressure is between 25 mTorr and 500 mTorr. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the carbon containing material comprises at least one of methane, ethane, propane, or butane. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10  wherein converting, by the CMOS compatible growth process, a portion of the carbon containing material to the film of graphene includes subjecting the substrate to an RF plasma. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the at least one atmospheric gas comprises nitrogen gas. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the CMOS compatible surface treatment process comprises an etch process removing material from the substrate. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the CMOS compatible surface treatment process is performed prior to the converting, by the CMOS compatible growth process, a portion of the carbon containing material to the film of graphene. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10  wherein a Raman spectra for the film of graphene is characterized by a ratio of a first Raman peak associated with defects to a second Raman peak associated with graphite of less than one.