Synthesis of graphene on Co/SiC structure

Bi-layer graphene sheets have been prepared on the basis of a reaction of cobalt with silicon carbide at temperatures around 1,000 °C. This is a type of viable low temperature graphene synthesis. Preparation of graphene was carried out with various thicknesses of the Co layer deposited onto the SiC surface and parameters of the annealing process (temperature, annealing time) were varied. Number of carbon mono-layers in the prepared graphene and its crystallinity were determined from the results of Raman spectroscopy. The best results have been obtained for a structure with Cobalt layer of 300 nm thickness, annealed at 1,080 °C for the period of 120 s. When using shorter annealing times, significantly non-homogenous reaction of Co with SiC has been observed, forming two different phases on the surface.