Transfer-free and catalyst-free graphene thin films produced by plasma electron annealing at low temperatures

Research into graphene, an innovative material, has increased remarkably since Geim and Novoselov won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for forming single layers of graphene using Scotch tape. Indeed, despite being a remarkable material with excellent properties, graphene is not yet commercialized, owing to a lack of suitable direct-growth preparation methods. To address this issue, in this study we introduce a new method for growing graphene thin films directly on substrates by using a simple and clean plasma electron annealing (PEA) process involving a low processing temperature in a single chamber, which is advantageous. Specifically, we transform the carbon layer deposited on a silicon dioxide wafer into graphene at low temperature by using the electrons in inductively coupled plasma to transfer kinetic energy to the substrate. We expect that the method developed herein will provide new possibilities for future graphene research. [Display omitted] •A graphene thin film is grown directly on a SiO2 substrate through plasma electron annealing (PEA).•In PEA, kinetic energy is transferred to the carbon layer by using electrons.•We succeed in producing flat and uniform graphene thin films at a process temperature of 400 °C.