Graphene

Graphene is effectively a two-dimensional materials comprising a one-atom-thick planar sheet carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice.

Graphene exhibits ultra high p-type and n-type, room temperature electron mobility and minimal conductivity which makes the material a potential candidate for ultra-high frequency applications beyond that of conventional semiconducting materials in the form of Field Effect Transistors (FETs).

IQE is a participant in Phase I of the Carbon Electronics for RF Applications Program (CERA).

 

Program Goal: To develop graphene synthesis process on Si-based substrates using MBE and fabricate graphene-channel field effect transistors on 200mm wafers

Sponsor: DARPA-MTO

Partners:

Key Accomplishments:

  • HRL team demonstrated 1st RF graphene FETs using epitaxial film from NRL
  • Fabricated epitaxial graphene FETs on a 2” wafer scale with world-record field effect mobility of ~6000 cm2/Vs
  • Demonstrated device-viable epitaxial graphene on 3” Si-face 6H-SiC substrate
  • Mobility measurements of epitaxial graphene on small area C-face samples extrapolate to 150,000+ cm2V-1s-1 for sheet charge density of about 1x1011 cm-2
  • Uniformity on Si-face wafers were found by Raman mapping to be primarily one layer; demonstrated resistivity uniformity < 3%