Reaction-limited graphene CVD surpasses silicon production rate

Abstract

Abstract 2D materials are considered enabling constituents in future large-scale electronics, but current production by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) proceeds at significantly lower rates than for traditional semiconductors and limits their usefulness in many envisioned applications. Analysis of previous research indicates that the current 2D materials production-scale is restricted by the low conversion efficiency between precursor and product. We here demonstrate the enhanced efficiency and speed of 2D materials growth by introducing a route to reach the reaction-controlled growth regime. Computational fluid-dynamics highlights the importance of gas-phase kinetics even in LPCVD growth and suggests that reaction-controlled growth can be achieved through optimization of the interaction between precursor and substrate. Applying this new restriction to graphene, growth rates were increased by ∼104 times and graphene synthesis proceeded without limitations from precursor supply even in atomic-scale pores. This advance enabled the synthesis of graphene at areas of several square-meters within 10 min using a research-grade 3″ furnace. The achieved conversion efficiency and production rate surpass existing growth methods by several orders of magnitude and extend 2D materials’ synthesis beyond silicon production capabilities, opening new routes for their application.