Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Graphene has been grown by direct deposition of carbon from solid sources on both SiC and Ta films on SiC in an MBE environment. Carbon fluxes were obtained from thermally evaporated C60 and from a heated graphite filament. The graphene films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Graphene films on Si-face SiC grown by carbon source MBE (CSMBE) were compared with graphene grown by the standard epitaxial graphene process using SiC thermal decomposition. CSMBE on SiC was found to grow at lower temperatures (1200°C) and to have fewer pits and a more uniform surface. Uniform graphene films were found to grow on Ta films after exposure to both carbon sources at 1200°C but Raman measurements showed no signs of graphene on films exposed to the same temperature without a carbon flux.