The effect of iron on the surface graphitization of silicon carbide

In order to decrease the decomposition temperature of SiC, 12nm Fe thin film is applied on SiC substrates as a catalyst layer using electron beam (e-beam) deposition. To investigate the mechanism of Fe-treated SiC decomposition, local Fe regions are formed through dewetting of the catalyst layer by hydrogen annealing. The results show that Fe decreases the decomposition temperature of SiC effectively and increases the kinetics of the graphitization. Studies showed that depending on the amount of Fe, crumpled and ordered graphene films can be synthesized simultaneously on SiC by using this method.