Method of Growing Graphene Directly on a Quartz Substrate
A fast, single-step laser-growth method forms graphene sheets directly on insulating material, streamlining electronics manufacturing by eliminating the transfer process and associated contamination risk.
Graphene has many properties that make it ideal for electronic devices, such as a 2-D structure, high electron mobility, and high thermal conductivity. Producing sheets of graphene is accomplished currently with the techniques of mechanical exfoliation or chemical vapor deposition, but before the graphite can be functionalized, the sheets must be transferred from the metal surfaces where they grow to an insulator, which risks metal contamination and ruining the sheets.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a laser-growth method for forming graphene sheets on quartz. Using a laser has the advantages of high speed and being localized. Because the graphene is grown directly on an insulator, there is no need to transfer it, making this a one-step manufacturing process.
Advantages:
-Graphene grown directly on insulator
-Fast, single-step process
Potential Applications:
-Electronics
TRL: 5
Intellectual Property:
Provisional-Patent, 2012-06-05, United States | Utility Patent, 2013-05-30, United States
Keywords: Graphene, laser-growth, one-step manufacturing, electronics, quartz, insulator, high electron mobility, high thermal conductivity, 2-D structure, chemical vapor deposition, Electrical Engineering, Graphene, Lasers