TechConnect Innovator Spotlight:
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Ultra-fast graphene growth by CVD, Univalor
TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY
By eliminating any traces of oxygen in the reaction chamber, our chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process can grow graphene on copper with full coverage in less than one minute of methane exposure. The result is a uniform high quality graphene single layer.
Primary Application Area: Materials, Chemical
Technology Development Status: Prototype
TECHNOLOGY DETAILS:
We are proposing a new CVD process allowing to reduce the growth time to less than one minute. The growth is performed on a copper substrate under a flow of methane and hydrogen using a standard setup except that purifiers are added on the gas lines in order to eliminate O2 traces. In such conditions, we have identified the optimal H2 to CH4 ratio to reach the fastest growth. The result is a uniform high quality graphene single layer covering the whole substrate after only one minute of CH4 exposure and probably even less. The reaction automatically stops when full coverage is obtained without forming multi-layer islands. This approach is also applicable to other substrates and precursors.
FIGURES OF MERIT:
Value Proposition: Major obstacles hindering the broad adoption of graphene for commercial applications requiring large-area films such as displays are the high cost and low scalability of most fabrication methods. CVD growth, which can be implemented in a roll-to-roll process, has become a reference. However, the growth times of about 30 minutes remain too long to ensure profitability considering the high energy costs for maintaining temperatures close to 1000°C. By reducing the growth time to less than one minute with minimal inexpensive changes to standard equipment, we are proposing the first high throughput economically viable method for making high-quality large-area graphene films.
SHOWCASE SUMMARY
Organization Type: Academic/Gov Lab