Synthesis of Thin Graphite Film by Microwave Surface-Wave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract

We successfully synthesized a thin graphite film by microwave surface-wave plasma chemical vapor deposition and investigated the effect of UV light from the plasma during the film synthesis. The quality of the film was compared between the case where UV light was irradiated from the plasma and the case where the UV light was blocked. The quality was also evaluated by Raman scattering spectroscopy. There were more defects in the thin graphite film prepared with UV light irradiation than with the UV light blocked. These results suggest that during the synthesis of the thin graphite film, UV light affects its crystallinity. However, charged particles from the plasma had no effect on the quality. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy revealed that the thin graphite film consisted of approximately 20 layers.