• 文献标题:   Treatment of graphene films in the early and late afterglows of N-2 plasmas: comparison of the defect generation and N-incorporation dynamics
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   BIGRAS GR, GLAD X, MARTEL R, SARKISSIAN A, STAFFORD L
  • 作者关键词:   microwave plasma, flowing afterglow, plasmainduced modification of materials nanomaterial, plasmagraphene interaction
  • 出版物名称:   PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
  • ISSN:   0963-0252 EI 1361-6595
  • 通讯作者地址:   Univ Montreal
  • 被引频次:   2
  • DOI:   10.1088/1361-6595/aaedfd
  • 出版年:   2018

▎ 摘  要

Graphene films grown on copper substrate by chemical vapor deposition were exposed to the flowing afterglow of a reduced-pressure N-2 plasma sustained by microwave electromagnetic fields (surface-wave plasma). Two set of conditions were examined by controlling the gas flow rate: the late afterglow (LA) characterized by a high number densities of reactive N atoms and the early afterglow (EA) in which significant populations of metastable N-2(A) states and positive ions (N-2(+) and N-4(+)) coexist with plasma-generated N atoms. LA treatments of graphene films show monotonous and steady incorporation of nitrogen atoms along with very low damage. However, given the very mild LA treatment conditions, a large part of the N atoms remains weakly bonded to the graphene surface; a feature ascribed to the plasma-induced functionalization of airborne hydrocarbon contaminants. In such conditions, graphitic inclusion of plasma-generated N atoms is limited to native defect sites. On the other hand, the presence of highly energetic species in the EA induces significant damage combined with much higher N-incorporation. Detailed Raman analysis of EA-treated samples further reveals a transition from vacancy-type defects to much larger multi-vacancies with increasing treatment time. This complete set of data indicates that through a judicious control of the populations of reactive N atoms, metastable N-2(A) states, and positive ions (N-2(+) and N-4(+)), the flowing afterglow of microwave N-2 plasmas represents a highly promising tool for precise, post-growth tuning of the defect generation and N-incorporation dynamics in graphene films.