Interfacial monolayer graphene growth on arbitrary substrate by nickel-assisted ion implantation

Direct synthesis of monolayer graphene on arbitrary substrate (such as SiO2, Al2O3, glass, and Si3N4) is demonstrated through a universal and controllable approach, i.e., carbon ion implantation technique. By tuning the implantation energy to precisely implant carbon ions into the thin Ni film, which is pre-deposited on the objective substrate, followed by post-annealing and fast-cooling processes, monolayer graphene films are directly synthesized on the arbitrary objective substrate. Micro-Raman spectroscopy, STM, and TEM are cooperatively utilized to verify that the synthesized graphene is monolayer with high quality. Moreover, field-effect transistors are fabricated with the directly synthesized monolayer graphene on SiO2/Si substrate to reveal the corresponding electrical properties. This study provides an avenue for direct growth of graphene on arbitrary substrate, which offers more flexibility in the experimental conditions, especially the experimental atmosphere. In addition, involving the ion implantation technique may pave the way for wafer-scale graphene synthesis, thus benefitting the application of graphene in micro-/nano-electronic field.