Selective epitaxial growth of graphene on SiC

We present a method of selective epitaxial growth of few layers graphene (FLG) on a prepatterned silicon carbide (SiC) substrate. The methods involves, successively, the sputtering of a thin aluminium nitride (AlN) layer on top of a monocrystalline SiC substrate and, then, patterning it with e-beam lithography and wet etching. The sublimation of few atomic layers of Si from the SiC substrate occurs only through the selectively etched AlN layer. The presence of the Raman G-band at similar to 1582 cm(-1) in the AlN-free areas is used to validate the concept. It gives absolute evidence of selective FLG growth. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.