Chemical vapor deposition graphene of high mobility by gradient growth method on an 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) substrate

Graphene directly grown on an 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) substrate by chemical vapor deposition was studied: it was shown that Si evaporation process is not completely halted during graphene growth when TG ≥ 1400 °C, the SiC substrate decomposes at the position of graphene coverage. AFM and Raman spectrum results reveal that carbon concentration significantly influences graphene growth rate and morphology/structure. It is found that the quality of graphene film depends on the growth temperature and the flow of carbon source. We develop a new gradient growth method to produce a feasible graphene material for electronic devices. Graphene grown by this method has a flat-morphology structure, low wrinkle density, high crystal quality, good uniformity, and outstanding electrical transport properties. Nitrogen doping has an n-type doping effect on graphene carrier concentration. The main component of nitrogen-bond type is the graphitic configuration. The graphene material with nitrogen doping reaches a record mobility of 9010 cm2/V·s by room temperature Hall effect measurement, indicating graphene grown by gradient method with suitable nitrogen doping could yield a high quality film comparable to that by traditional method.