Oxygen-induced reduction of the graphitization temperature of SiC surface

In the solid-vapor phase equilibria between SiC and O2 system, there exists a region where the reaction (2+x)SiC+O2→(2+x)Si↑+2CO↑+xC↓ takes place. By tuning the temperature and the oxygen pressure used in the graphitization annealing into this region, we have succeeded in the growth of epitaxial graphene on SiC crystals at 1000degC, which is lower, by 250degC or more, than the conventional epitaxial graphene method. The method is especially useful to formation of epitaxial graphene on silicon (GOS), which requires a lower graphitization temperature because of the Si substrate as well as of its mission to attain compatibility with Si technology. (author)