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Effect of copper pretreatment on optical and electrical properties of camphor-based graphene by chemical vapour deposition

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Abstract

Polycrystalline copper (Cu) foil is widely used as catalytic substrate for graphene growth in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. The surface properties of the Cu foil strongly affect the growth behavior and final quality of CVD-grown graphene. The effect of pretreatment of Cu foil using four different solutions (acetone, acetic acid, HCl and HNO3) on the graphene growth held in atmospheric pressure CVD and its subsequent impact on electrical and optical properties are investigated. Natural camphor is used as the solid carbon precursor. The surface characteristics before and after the growth are studied using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The pretreatment conditions of Cu and the growth of graphene from camphor were correlated using Raman spectroscopy, optical and electrical characteristics. Our findings suggest that HCl-pretreated Cu foil exhibited large domain, uniform coverage of the transferred graphene with excellent optical (> 93% at 550 nm) and electrical properties (sheet resistance of 861 ± 40 Ω/sq), with promisingly low RMS value of roughness (38 nm). The pretreatment process improved the quality of graphene by removing the surface impurity particles and surface native oxides. A Schottky junction diode of graphene/n-silicon is fabricated by transferring the graphene to SiO2/Si substrate under dark and illuminated conditions is also demonstrated to establish its potential in micro- and opto-electronics.

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Acknowledgements

One of the authors (Dr. R. Narasimman) would like to acknowledge the DST-SERB, New Delhi, India for the award of SERB National Post-Doctoral Fellowship (File Number: PDF/2017/003063 dated: 11/07/2017). The authors are acknowledging IIT, Gandhinagar for AFM facility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Sardar Vallabhbhai National of Technology, Surat, 395009, India

    Harsh A. Chaliyawala

  2. Advanced Power Systems Division, Chemical Systems Group, Propellants Polymers Chemicals Entity, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695 022, India

    R. Narasimman

  3. Department of Solar Energy, School of Technology, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382421, India

    Ranjan K. Pati, Indrajit Mukhopadhyay & Abhijit Ray

  4. Solar Research and Development Center, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382421, India

    Indrajit Mukhopadhyay & Abhijit Ray

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  1. Harsh A. Chaliyawala
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Chaliyawala, H.A., Narasimman, R., Pati, R.K. et al. Effect of copper pretreatment on optical and electrical properties of camphor-based graphene by chemical vapour deposition. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 33, 8397–8408 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-06300-y

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