Growth of graphene on Cu by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

The growth of graphene on Cu substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) was investigated and its growth mechanism was discussed. At a substrate temperature of 500 degrees C, formation of graphene was found to precede the growth of carbon nanowalls (CNWs), which are often fabricated by PE-CVD. The growth of graphene was investigated in various conditions, changing the plasma power, gas pressures, and the substrate temperature. The catalytic nature of Cu also affects the growth of monolayer graphene at high substrate temperatures, while the growth at low temperatures and growth of multilayer graphene are dominated mostly by radicals generated in the plasma. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.