Method of obtaining a silicon carbide-graphene composite with a controlled surface morphology

A method of obtaining a silicon carbide (SiC) graphene surface composite with a controlled surface morphology, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate,
• (b) annealing the SiC substrate at a temperature of 1573 K to 2090 K, at a pressure of not more than 5×10−7 mbar, in a first beam of silicon atoms from an external source of silicon atoms,
• (c) cooling,
• wherein in step (c) the SiC substrate from step b) is cooled at a rate of 0.23 K/s to 1.43 K/s, in a second beam of silicon atoms from the external source of silicon atoms, to obtain a surface covered with terraces, or cooled at a rate of >100 K/s in a third beam of silicon atoms from the external source of silicon atoms, to obtain a surface covered with a network of pits.