Graphene Trails on PECVD Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Carbide Films SiC-a: H by Laser Writing at Room Temperature

The production of high quality graphene without the need for catalyst metals as in the case of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques remain a challenge. Silicon carbide is one of the materials with potential to form graphene films on its surface through thermal decomposition when subjected to high temperatures and ultrahigh vacuum. This technique is highly desirable since it enables the elimination of corrosion and transfer steps, which can leave residues in the graphene structure and alter its quality, as well as its electrical proprieties, however it is a costly and time consuming method. In this work, we present the production of graphene trails by direct laser radiation writing at room temperature and atmospheric pressure on hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films (SiC-a:H) produced by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD). Graphene trails of approximately 1cm x 4μm were obtained with patterns designed by computer Aided Design (CAD) software. Variations were made in both scanning speed and laser focal length, identifying a great dependence on the graphene quality with these two parameters. The best results of the Raman Spectroscopy Mappings showed high quality graphene with distance between point defects (LD) of 20nm, crystallite size (La) of 25nm and few layers (2-3). In addition, the electrical measurements from Au/Ti (20nm/100nm) electrodes deposited by electron beam evaporation showed high conductivity, with sheet resistances (Rs) from 0.7kΩ to 1.3 kΩ per square. This technique opens a great possibility of manufacturing devices for applications in electronics, being a fast, efficient and low cost method.