2 ms·
> epitaxially Is the keyword you are after. Basically this is a vapour deposition technique of some sort, almost certainly using MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) t
by jpgvm 3y ago
> epitaxially
Is the keyword you are after. Basically this is a vapour deposition technique of some sort, almost certainly using MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) to grow the graphene on the silicon carbide substrate.
- adrian_b 3y agoWhile MBE is the best method for many kinds of materials, in this special case a completely different method has been used. Half of silicon carbide is carbon, and by heating silicon carbide at very high temperatures and low pressures the silicon atoms that are close to the surface evaporate, leaving a superficial layer made of carbon. By applying a certain thermal treatment, the carbon layer crystallizes into a layer of monocrystalline graphene. Like for many other great ideas, after someone succeeds to do it it seems weird that nobody has tried to do such a thing before. However it is likely that the parameters of the process are very critical for obtaining a layer with good characteristics, so a large number of experiments have been necessary to determine them.
- jpgvm 3y agoOh wow! I guess I have a new rabbit hole to go down. Thanks for the info, I just presumed it would be MBE.