Large area graphene for two dimensional electronics

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Norbert Nickel
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 242759233

The aim of this project is to establish graphene as a large area electrically active contact material for two-dimensional electronics and take advantage of its superior electrical and optical properties. Large area graphene will be grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on Cu and Ni substrates and by electrochemical grafting of benzene and aliphatic type molecules. The CVD-growth introduces a large amount of strain in the graphene layer. Moreover, the metal substrates are polycrystalline and they contain impurities. Hence, it is one objective of this project to explore the influence of strain, the morphology of the substrate, and impurities in the substrate on the electrical and optical properties of the resulting graphene. Employing electrochemistry for the growth of large area graphene will have important advantages compared to CVD growth. Graphene can be grown at room temperature, which significantly lowers the thermal budget, and thereby would allow the growth of graphene on substrates and materials that cannot withstand elevated temperatures like organic molecules. Here, the objective is to grow graphene on the desired material without the need for a specialized growth substrate, as in the case of CVD growth.For CVD grown graphene it is necessary to transfer it to suitable substrates that allow for electrical and optical characterization. During and after the transfer process the interaction of graphene with supporting material and targeted substrates will be investigated by measuring the phonon modes, electrical transport, bonding to substrates and adsorbates. Finally, we pursue the goal to incorporate large area graphene in a large two-dimensional device. As an attractive example for the proof of concept we aim to integrate graphene as an active layer in a solar cell. A successful implementation will open hitherto unexpected routes in semiconductor physics and innovative and novel technological applications will be possible.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1459: Graphen