Direct Growth Properties of Graphene Layers on Sapphire Substrate by Alcohol-Chemical Vapor Deposition

Few nanometers thick graphene layers were directly grown on a-plane (110) sapphire substrates by alcohol-chemical vapor deposition (alcohol-CVD) using ethanol as a carbon source and without any catalytic metal on the substrate surface. The growth relationship between the graphene layer and substrate was analyzed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The growth rate of graphene layers with different growth temperatures revealed that the Al atom act as a catalyst for synthesizing a graphitic material during the decomposition of ethanol. An optical transmittance and a sheet resistance of the graphene sheet directly grown on sapphire substrate were observed. SiO2/Si and n-6H-SiC substrates were also examined for graphene direct growth to discuss the catalytic behavior of Si atoms compared with Al atoms.