Catalyst patterned growth of interconnecting graphene layer on _SiO2 /Si substrate for integrated devices

The authors report a simple site selective growth for producing interconnecting suspended graphene on SiO2 /Si substrate. The outcome of the process depends on the thickness of the catalyst (Ni) and process ambient on SiO2 /Si wafer by low pressure fast heating chemical-vapor deposition at 820°C for periods from 30 s to 10 min. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the graphene grown on the substrate consists of from 1 to <20 layers, with the number of layers depending on the thickness of the catalyst (Ni). Also, the thickness of Ni catalyst determines whether the graphite layers (GLs) are grown in a suspended form or adhered to the substrate. The possibility of producing qualified as-grown GL supported on a wafer without further processing, such as transferring to another substrate, should contribute to further scientific research and development of graphene.