Plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructures and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11908960-B2
Application number	US-201917255817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2019
Priority date	Jul 6, 2018
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A method of making a plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructure comprises heating an organometallic complex precursor comprising a metal at a first temperature T1 for a first period of time t1 to deposit a layer of the metal on a surface of a heated substrate, the heated substrate in fluid communication with the precursor; and heating, in situ, the precursor at a second temperature T2 for a second period of time t2 to simultaneously form on the layer of the metal, a monolayer of graphene and a plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures comprising the metal, thereby providing the plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructure. The heated substrate is characterized by a third temperature T3. The plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructures, devices incorporating the heterostructures, and methods of using the heterostructures are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructure, the method comprising:
heating an organometallic complex precursor comprising a metal at a first temperature T 1 for a first period of time t 1 to deposit a layer of the metal on a surface of a heated substrate, the heated substrate in fluid communication with the precursor; and
heating, in situ, the precursor at a second temperature T 2 for a second period of time t 2 to simultaneously form on the layer of the metal, a monolayer of graphene and a plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures comprising the metal, thereby providing the plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructure,
wherein the heated substrate is characterized by a third temperature T 3 .

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein T 1 <T 2 <T 3 .

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the organometallic complex precursor is characterized by a vaporization temperature and a decomposition temperature and T 1 is greater than the vaporization temperature, T 2 is less than the decomposition temperature and T 3 is greater than the decomposition temperature.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein t 1 <t 2 and t 1 .

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating steps are carried out in the presence of a flowing gas.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal of the organometallic complex precursor is selected from Cu, Ag, Au, Ti, Zn, Co, Fe, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon of the carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures has a thickness consistent with that of a graphene monolayer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a silicon-containing substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposited layer of metal is ultrathin having an average thickness of no more than 2 nm.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the deposited layer of metal is continuous.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monolayer of graphene and the carbon of the plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures provide a continuous carbon layer forming a continuous interface with each metal nanostructure of the plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures and with the layer of the metal between neighboring metal nanostructures of the plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formed monolayer of graphene is characterized by an I D /I G value of less than 0.2.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures of the plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures have an average size in the range of 10 nm to 100 nm.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a deviation of sizes of the carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures from the average size is no more than ±1%.

15. A plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructure comprising:
a substrate having a surface;
a layer of a metal on the surface of the substrate; and
a monolayer of graphene and a plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures comprising the metal on a surface of the layer of the metal.

16. The heterostructure of claim 15 , wherein the carbon of the carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures has a thickness consistent with that of a graphene monolayer.

17. The heterostructure of claim 15 , wherein the substrate is a silicon-containing substrate.

18. The heterostructure of claim 15 , wherein the monolayer of graphene and the carbon of the plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures provide a continuous carbon layer forming a continuous interface with each metal nanostructure of the plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures and with the layer of the metal between neighboring metal nanostructures of the plurality of carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures.

19. An optoelectronic device comprising the plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructure of claim 15 , a source configured to illuminate the heterostructure with electromagnetic radiation, and a detector configured to detect scattered light from the heterostructure.

20. A method of using a plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructure, the method comprising illuminating the plasmonic metal/graphene heterostructure of claim 15 with electromagnetic radiation to excite surface plasmons at a carbon-metal interface therein.

Assignees

• Univ Kansas

Inventors

• Wu Judy Z
• Liu Qingfeng

Classifications

• H10F77/703

  of the semiconductor bodies, e.g. textured active layers · CPC title

• H10F77/122 Primary

  comprising only Group IV materials · CPC title

• H10F77/40

  Optical elements or arrangements (surface textures H10F77/70) · CPC title

• H10F71/00

  Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass (patterning processes to connect thin photovoltaic cells in integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/33; manufacture or treatment of encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/80; manufacture or treatment of integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one element in which radiation controls the flow of current H10F39/00) · CPC title

• H10F77/306 Primary

  for devices having potential barriers · CPC title