Ultrafast Graphene Growth on Insulators via Metal-Catalyzed Crystallization by a Laser Irradiation Process: From Laser Selection, Thickness Control to Direct Patterned Graphene Utilizing Controlled Layer Segregation Process

Despite the vast progress in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene grown on metals, the transfer process is still a major bottleneck, being not devoid of wrinkles and polymer residues. In this paper, a structure is introduced to directly synthesize few layer graphene on insulating substrates by a laser irradiation heating process. The segregation of graphene layers can be manipulated by tuning the metal layer thickness and laser power at different scanning rates. Graphene deposition and submicrometer patterning resolution can be achieved by patterning the intermediate metal layer using standard lithography methods in order to overcome the scalability issue regardless the resolution of the laser beam. The systematic analysis of the process based on the formation of carbon microchannels by the laser irradiation process can be extended to several materials, thicknesses, and methods. Furthermore, hole and electron mobilities of 500 and 950 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) are measured. The laser-synthesized graphene is a step forward along the direct synthesis route for graphene on insulators that meets the criteria for photonics and electronics.