Fabrication Process For Graphene Single Crystal Arrays Devised By UH Scientists

Researchers at the University of Houston have developed a technology for practically creating single crystal arrays of Graphene. This technical advance can help the material engineers to use this allotrope of carbon as an effective alternative for silicon in many electronic and computer based applications. The research can lead to a paradigm shift in the manufacturing of electronic devices. The study was of such paramount importance that it got published as the cover story in the June issue of famous science journal Nature Materials.

Graphene is a form of carbon and is very thin because of its only one atom thick layer. It got in to the news in 2004 when it was first fabricated. Graphene has got a hell lot of applications in nanotechnology and related fields. Graphene conducts electric signals easily at a higher speed because it offers minimum resistance and low heat losses.It can be used in almost all the silicon based electronic and digital circuits. It can be a high speed, low cost, efficient alternative for the conventionally used silicon. However, a major problem with the usage of graphene is that till now, there is no reliable and error free method for manufacturing of such single crystal arrays on a large scale. This new method can be a viable solution for the fabrication problem.

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The UH scientists call this new process as the single-crystal growth method. The lead author of the paper, Dr. Qingkai Yu, who is now an assistant professor at Texas State University in San Marcos and remains a project leader at CAM (UH Center for Advanced Materials) told the press that using the graphene seeds they can actually produce ordered arrays of millions of graphene crystals to form the single atom thick layers. He believes that this can be a viable technology for producing carbon based electronic devices and chips. In the research, Yu was assisted by Steven Pei, UH professor of electrical and computer engineering and CAM's deputy director. Pei thinks that the technique is not yet perfected but is an obvious solution for the industrial fabrication of sleek integrated circuits using graphene transistors and diodes. It can result in realization of highly anticipated nano-electronics for everyday use.

At the CAM, the material engineers grew graphene arrays on copper foil substrate. The process took place inside a methane gas chamber by chemical vapor deposition. This method is the brainchild of Prof. Yu and is now considered as the standard method for production of large graphene layers for displays, solar cells, sensors and other nanotech applications.

Last year, two scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize for discovery of Graphene. Now, this technological advance means that time has come to replace silicon with this high performance material.

Image Credit: Graphene nanotechnology for tomorrow's nanoelectronic circuits

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