Investigation on characteristics of the graphene film on various crystal planes of polycrystalline aluminum nitride

Abstract

Graphene has attracted significant attention for its excellent electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, its quality is strongly influenced by substrate crystal structure. Preparing graphene on non-metallic substrates, especially polycrystalline ones, remains challenging due to limited understanding of growth mechanisms and crystal face effects. This work reported the efficient growth of graphene films on polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates using the scanning electromagnetic induction (SEMI) technology and further investigated structural characteristics of graphene on different crystal planes of the substrate. Large-area and high-coverage graphene films were directly grown on c- and m-planes of AlN. Confocal SEM‒Raman analysis revealed the crystal plane-related interface coupling phenomenon: the 2D peak of graphene grown on the c-plane showed an obvious red shift to approximately 2684 cm⁻¹, indicating stronger coupling and greater compressive strain at the interface between the c-plane AlN and graphene. This work provides a reliable method to in-situ investigate behaviors of graphene on various crystal facets. The results reveal characteristics of graphene on different AlN crystal planes, which is believed to provide important information for applications on graphene‒AlN devices.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

graphene / polycrystalline AlN / m-plane / scanning electromagnetic induction / Raman analysis

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