Manufacturing Graphene via Laser Heating

This study focuses on the investigation of an alternative method for graphene production. There are various ways of manufacturing graphene sheets. Each method has it is own advantages and disadvantages. However, the common problem is about the cost and time associated with these particular routes. In this study, we have developed an alternative mechanism that utilizes laser beam as heating source to help thermal decomposition of silicon carbide in order to obtain graphene sheets. The manufactured samples were compared with graphene sheets that were prepared with traditional thermal decomposition method using a high temperature furnace. The results showed that the alternative way of manufacturing has promise for graphene formation since Raman spectrum showed graphene peaks in corresponding locations with satisfactory shapes. This could lead to potentially single layer graphene on a large scale after optimizing the manufacturing setup and, consequently, could either reduce the fabrication costs or reduce the time required for epitaxial growth process. Few rearrangements such as laser power, flow rate of the gas or pressurizing the chamber could make the process an applicable approach.