Few-layer Graphene Growth by Annealing C:Ni:Cu Film Deposited by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering

As a high-performance carbon material, graphene has found various applications. In this study, graphene has been directly prepared on 300 nm SiO₂/Si substrates by rapid thermal annealing of C:Ni:Cu films deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). The parameters affecting the number of layers and quality of graphene during preparation have been systematically investigated, including C₂H₂ flow rate, film thickness, gas pressure, annealing temperature, annealing time, and heating rate. Few-layer high quality (I_2D/I_G ≈ 1.23, I_D/I_G ≈ 0.45, FWHM ≈ 71 cm⁻¹) graphene has been successfully fabricated at the above parameters of 2 sccm, 48 nm, 0.3 Pa, 900℃, 10 min, and 15℃/s, respectively. The experimental results provide a method for synthesizing graphene directly on the desired substrate at low temperatures (700℃), which is significant for the development of graphene preparation technology and the application of graphene materials.