In Situ SR-XPS Observation of Ni-Assisted Low-Temperature Formation of Epitaxial Graphene on 3C-SiC/Si.
Low-temperature (~1073 K) formation of graphene was performed on Si substrates by using an ultrathin (2 nm) Ni layer deposited on a 3C-SiC thin film heteroepitaxially grown on a Si substrate. Angle-resolved, synchrotron-radiation X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (SR-XPS) results show that the stacking order is, from the surface to the bulk, Ni carbides(Ni3C/NiCx)/graphene/Ni/Ni silicides (Ni2Si/NiSi)/3C-SiC/Si. In situ SR-XPS during the graphitization annealing clarified that graphene is formed during the cooling stage. We conclude that Ni silicide and Ni carbide formation play an essential role in the formation of graphene.
Research Institute of Electrical Communications, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan. mh7389@riec.tohoku.ac.jp.
Mika
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9754-9109
M
Hasegawa
Research Institute of Electrical Communications, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
Kenta
K
Sugawara
Research Institute of Electrical Communications, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
Ryota
R
Suto
Research Institute of Electrical Communications, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
Shota
S
Sambonsuge
JAEA, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan.
Yuden
Y
Teraoka
JAEA, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan.
Akitaka
A
Yoshigoe
Department of Physics, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia.
Sergey
S
Filimonov
Research Institute of Electrical Communications, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
Hirokazu
H
Fukidome
Research Institute of Electrical Communications, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.|JST-CREST, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 107-0075, Japan.
Maki
M
Suemitsu
3C-SiC; AR-XPS; Graphene; Ni carbide; Ni silicide