Wrinkle-free graphene with spatially uniform electrical properties grown on hot-pressed copper

Abstract

The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of graphene on Cu substrates enables the fabrication of large-area monolayer graphene on desired substrates. However, during the transfer of the synthesized graphene, topographic defects are unavoidably formed along the Cu grain boundaries, degrading the electrical properties of graphene and increasing the device-to-device variability. Here, we introduce a method of hot-pressing as a surface pre-treatment to improve the thermal stability of Cu thin film for the suppression of grain boundary grooving. The flattened Cu thin film maintains its smooth surface even after the subsequent high temperature CVD process necessary for graphene growth, and the formation of graphene without wrinkles is realized. Graphene field effect transistors (FETs) fabricated using the graphene synthesized on hot-pressed Cu thin film exhibit superior field effect mobility and significantly reduced device-to-device variation.