SmallTalks "Wafer scale single-crystalline graphene"

Abstract 

Graphene — a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice — has extraordinary properties that could enable faster electronics, advanced photonics, and quantum technologies. To realize these applications, we need large-area graphene single-crystals, because grain boundaries degrade its properties. Achieving single-crystalline graphene on arbitrary substrates is one of the greatest challenges in the field.

We developed a method to produce transferable large-area (up to 10 cm) single-crystalline graphene, with high electronic quality. It is based on epitaxial graphene growth on silicon carbide (SiC), known to result in single crystals strongly attached to SiC. Peeling off and transferring this graphene without degrading its quality has been difficult. We demonstrate that this is possible and also that the same SiC wafer can be reused, reducing cost and environmental impact of graphene manufacturing. Our results may enable scalable, high-quality sustainable graphene production for next-generation technologies, including twistronics based on magic-angle graphene.