Method of forming graphene on a silicon substrate

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for the formation of graphene on a silicon substrate, the method comprising: (i) providing a silicon wafer having a growth surface which is free of native oxides, in a reaction chamber; (ii) nitriding the growth surface with a nitrogen-containing gas with the wafer at a temperature in excess of 800° C., to thereby form a silicon nitride layer; and (iii) forming a graphene mono-layer or multiple layer structure on the silicon nitride layer; wherein the method is performed in-situ and sequentially in the reaction chamber. The present invention also provides a graphene-on-silicon layer structure having an intervening silicon nitride layer and free of any intervening native oxide layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.