Method for the fabrication and transfer of graphene

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9418839-B2
Application number	US-201514745114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2015
Priority date	Jun 20, 2014
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

Provided herein are processes for transferring high quality large-area graphene layers (e.g., single-layer graphene) to a flexible substrate based on preferential adhesion of certain thin metallic films to graphene followed by lamination of the metallized graphene layers to a flexible target substrate in a process that is compatible with roll-to-roll manufacturing, providing an environmentally benign and scalable process of transferring graphene to flexible substrates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a graphene layer on a substrate, comprising;
providing a graphene layer disposed on a first substrate;
applying a metal layer to the graphene layer to form a metalized graphene layer;
exfoliating the metalized graphene layer from the first substrate; and
laminating the metalized graphene layer to a second substrate, wherein the first substrate comprises copper.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphene layer is a graphene monolayer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphene layer comprises two or more graphene layers.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer comprises gold, nickel, cobalt, iron, silver, copper, tin, palladium, platinum, or alloy thereof.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the metal layer comprises nickel or cobalt.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer comprises a transition metal or alloy thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the metal layer comprises two or more sequentially deposited metal layers, wherein each layer comprises a transition metal or alloy thereof.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the two or more sequentially deposited metal layers each have a thickness of about 1 to about 1000 nanometers (nm), about 20 nm to about 1000 nm, about 50 nm to about 750 nm, about 100 nm to about 500 nm, about 125 nm to about 250 nm, or about 150 nm to about 200 nm.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer is applied to the graphene layer using a vacuum metallization process or an electrochemical metallization process.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the vacuum metallization process is selected from the group consisting of electron beam evaporation, thermal evaporation and sputtering.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the electrochemical metallization process is selected from the group consisting of an electroplating process, electroless deposition and atomic layer deposition.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer has a thickness of about 1 to about 1000 nanometers (nm), about 20 nm to about 1000 nm, about 50 nm to about 750 nm, about 100 nm to about 500 nm, about 125 nm to about 250 nm, or about 150 nm to about 200 nm.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer has a thickness of about 75 nm, about 100 nm, about 125 nm, about 150 nm, about 175 nm or about 200 nm.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the graphene layer disposed on a first substrate comprises:
providing the first substrate;
growing the graphene layer on the first substrate layer using a chemical vapor deposition process.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the metal layer from the graphene layer following lamination of the graphene layer to the second substrate.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second substrate is a flexible, solid, rigid, or fragile substrate.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second substrate is a flexible substrate selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), an elastomer polymer, a thermoplastic polymer, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-deposited polymer (ex.: Parylene-C or D or N) and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second substrate is transparent.

19. A method of transferring a graphene layer to a flexible substrate, comprising:
providing a graphene layer on a substrate, the substrate comprising copper;
applying a metal layer to the graphene layer to form a metalized graphene layer; and
laminating the metalized graphene layer to the flexible substrate.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising removing the metal layer from the graphene layer following lamination of the metalized layer to the flexible substrate.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein exfoliating the metalized graphene layer from the first substrate comprises
adhering an intermediary substrate to the metal layer;
applying force to the intermediary substrate sufficient to overcome the interaction between the first substrate and graphene layer to remove the metalized graphene layer from the first substrate.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the intermediary substrate is thermal release adhesive tape.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising removing the thermal release adhesive tape following removal of the metallized graphene from the first substrate.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the thermal release adhesive tape is applied to the metal layer using a roller to apply the thermal release adhesive tape from one edge of the metal layer to an opposite edge of the metal layer.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the adhering step and the removing step are performed concurrently.

26. The method of claim 21 , wherein the intermediary substrate is adhered to the metal layer using van Der Waals forces, magnetic force, pressure differential, electrostatic force, or any combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 1 , further comprising etching a pattern on the metalized graphene layer.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Zaretski Aliaksandr
• Lipomi Darren J

Classifications

• H10P14/38

  characterised by treatments done after the formation of the materials · CPC title

• H10P14/3406

  Carbon, e.g. diamond-like carbon · CPC title

• H10P14/2923

  being conductive materials, e.g. metallic silicides · CPC title

• H10P14/662

  Laminate layers, e.g. stacks of alternating high-k metal oxides (adhesion layers or buffer layers H10P14/6508, H10P14/6548) · CPC title

• H10P14/40

  of conductive or resistive materials · CPC title