Here, we present a reliable process to deposit transparent conductive films on silicon oxide, quartz, and sapphire using a solid carbon source. This layer consists of partially ordered graphene flakes with a lateral dimension of about 5 nm. The process does not require any catalytic metal and exploits a high current arc evaporation (Φ-HCA) to homogeneously deposit a layer of carbon on heated substrates. A gas atmosphere consisting of Argon or Argon/Hydrogen blend acting as a buffer influences the morphology of the growing film. scanning tunneling microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectra were used for a thorough characterization of the samples in order to optimize the growth parameters. The best carbon layers have a surface resistance of 5.7 × 103 Ω◻ whereas the optical transparency of the coatings is 88% with an excellent homogeneity over areas of several cm2. Such results are compatible with most semiconductor fabrication processes and make this method very promising for various industrial applications.
Das wachsende Interesse an Graphen beruht auf seiner unverwechselbaren Bandstruktur und seinen damit zusammenhängenden herausragenden physikalischen Eigenschaften. Es wird daher weltweit nach einem Verfahren gesucht, Graphen großflächig und mit hoher Qualität abzuscheiden. In einer an der TH Wildau [FH] speziell für diese Aufgabe konzipierten Reaktionskammer wurde die Herstellung mittels chemischer Gasphasenabscheidung auf katalytischen Metalloberflächen für verschiedene Parameter studiert und deren Verträglichkeit mit der CMOS -Technologie untersucht. Die ersten Tests erfolgten auf Nickel, da hier eine im Volumen stattfindende katalytische Reaktion einsetzt. In weiteren Schritten fiel die Wahl auf Kupfer, da hier die Reaktion an der Oberfläche stattfindet und daher ein stabilerer Prozess realisiert werden konnte. Die Qualitätsprüfung der erzeugten Schichten erfolgte mittels Ramanspektrometrie.
Comprehensive diagnostics is a prerequisite for the application of graphene in semiconductor technologies. Here, the authors present long-term investigations of graphene on 200-mm Ge(100)/Si(100) wafers under clean room environmental conditions. Diagnostic of graphene was performed by a fast and nondestructive metrology method based on the combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry and reflectometry (SE/R), realized within a wafer optical metrology tool. A robust procedure for unambiguous thickness monitoring of a multilayer film stack, including graphene, interface layer GeOx underneath graphene, and surface roughness is developed and applied for process control. The authors found a relationship between the quality of graphene and the growth of GeOx beneath graphene. Enhanced oxidation of Ge beneath graphene was registered as a long-term process. SE/R measurements were validated and complemented using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. This comparative study shows a high potential for optical metrology of graphene deposited on Ge/Si structures, due to its great sensitivity, repeatability, and flexibility, realized in a nondestructive way.
In this paper, we present an innovative and ultra-fast process for the deposition of high-quality graphene on different metal foils and thin metal films. The graphene layer can be homogeneously deposited in only 30 s process time. Due to the weak adhesion to the substrate material, the monolayer graphene is easy to transfer using the established processes. For the production, we use magnetic filtered high-current arc evaporation (Φ-HCA) with a solid, graphitic carbon source. This ultra-fast growth process can pave the way towards a cost-effective graphene synthesis for the mass production e.g., in a roll-to-roll process, avoiding time consuming established processes.
Carbon-based functional Materials for Application in Photonics, Optoelectronics and Sensorics
(2015)
In this work, two different processes to deposit Graphene-based transparent conductive films on arbitrary insulting substrates have been developed and examined. The first process is a PE-CVD, based on a gas mixture containing hydrocarbons (e.g. methane) inside a vacuum chamber where the insulating substrates are placed on a temperature controlled heating plate.
The second process uses a pulsed filtered vacuum arc system (Phi-HCA) to homogeneously deposit a small, well defined amount of carbon on heated substrates. The substrates are tilted with respect to the particle beam and placed on a heating plate. A gas atmosphere consisting of Argon or Argon/Hydrogen decreases the particle energy and influences the morphology of the growing film.
For both processes, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectra have been used for a thorough characterization of the samples in order to optimize the growth parameters. Subsequently, the results (sheet resistance, Hall mobility, transmittance) have been compared with respect to the state of the art, reported in literature. The best carbon layers have a surface resistance of 5E3 Ohm_sqr while the optical transparency of the coatings is 88% with an excellent homogeneity over areas of several cm^2. Both for the PE-CVD and the Phi-HCA, the area of deposition is only limited by the respective area of the heated surface. The obtained results and the fact, that the process can be compatible with most semiconductor fabrication processes, makes them promising for various industrial applications.
Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited using two different types of high current arc evaporation. The first process used a magnetic particle filter to remove droplets from the plasma. For the second process, the samples were put into a metallic cage which was placed directly above the plasma source. For both processes, we varied the substrate temperature from 21 to 350 °C in order to investigate the temperature effect. The samples were characterized using SEM, AFM, XPS, Raman Spectroscopy, Ellipsometry, Photometry, and Nano Indentation in order to compare both methods of deposition and provide a careful characterization of such DLC films. We found that the sp3 content and the hardness can be precisely adjusted by changing the substrate temperature. Furthermore, in the case of unfiltered deposition, the optical constants can be shifted in the direction of higher absorbance in order to produce black and hard carbon coatings.