Nickel-Enhanced Graphitic Ordering of Carbon Ad-Atoms during Physical Vapor Deposition

Compatibility with commonly used substrate materials is of crucial importance for graphene device production. Low-temperature synthesis approaches are needed to cope with this challenge. Therefore it has to be clarified, to which extend physical vapor deposition can be used to produce ordered graphene structures.

In this contribution, the mechanism of graphitic ordering of atomic C on Ni was investigated at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 550 °C. The C/Ni films were prepared by ion beam sputtering. A temperature-induced and a Ni-induced enhancement of graphitic ordering is demonstrated. The Ni-effect is responsible for the formation of a bi-layer structure of the C films at higher deposition temperatures. In the bi-layers, C forms graphenic planes parallel to the Ni surface within a thickness range of 1-2 nm. Further deposited C grows preferentially perpendicular to the surface. The results are discussed on the basis of hyperthermal atom deposition, surface diffusion, metal-induced crystallization and dissolution-precipitation. Our findings point to a dominating role of surface diffusion-assisted crystallization in the carbon ordering process.