Sungchan Park

Direct growth of GaN layer on carbon nanotube-graphene hybrid structure and its application for light emitting diodes.

We report the growth of high-quality GaN layer on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and graphene hybrid structure (CGH) as intermediate layer between GaN and sapphire substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and fabrication of light emitting diodes (LEDs) using them. The SWCNTs on graphene act as nucleation seeds, resulting in the formation of kink bonds along SWCNTs with the basal plane of the substrate. In the x-ray diffraction, Raman and photoluminescence spectra, high crystalline quality of GaN layer grown on CGH/sapphire was observed due to the reduced threading dislocation and efficient relaxation of residual compressive strain caused by lateral overgrowth process. When applied to the LED structure, the current-voltage characteristics and electroluminescence (EL) performance exhibit that blue LEDs fabricated on CGH/sapphire well-operate at high injection currents and uniformly emit over the whole emission area. We expect that CGH can be applied for the epitaxial growth of GaN on various substrates such as Si and MgO, which can be a great advantage in electrical and thermal properties of optical devices fabricated on them.

Growth kinetics of white graphene (h-BN) on a planarised Ni foil surface

The morphology of the surface and the grain orientation of metal catalysts have been considered to be two important factors for the growth of white graphene (h-BN) by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). We report a correlation between the growth rate of h-BN and the orientation of the nickel grains. The surface of the nickel (Ni) foil was first polished by electrochemical polishing (ECP) and subsequently annealed in hydrogen at atmospheric pressure to suppress the effect of the surface morphology. Atmospheric annealing with hydrogen reduced the nucleation sites of h-BN, which induced a large crystal size mainly grown from the grain boundary with few other nucleation sites in the Ni foil. A higher growth rate was observed from the Ni grains that had the {110} or {100} orientation due to their higher surface energy.

Improving the graphene electrode performance in ultra-violet light emitting diode using silver nanowire networks

This paper reports a systematic study on the characteristics of silver nanowires (AgNWs) coated graphene and its application as a transparent current spreading electrode in ultra-violet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs). The optimized values of optical transmittance and sheet resistance of AgNWs covered graphene were 87.7% at 375 nm and 50 ± 5 Ω/sq, respectively. Upon applying the AgNWs on graphene electrode, the UV-LED exhibited uniform bright light emission with a reduction in the forward voltage and about four-fold increase in the electroluminescence intensity. We attribute the observed performance improvements to a reduction in the sheet and contact resistances.

Parametric Study of Methanol Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth for Graphene

Methanol as a carbon source in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene has an advantage over methane and hydrogen in that we can avoid optimizing an etching reagent condition. Since methanol itself can easily decompose into hydrocarbon and water (an etching reagent) at high temperatures [1], the pressure and the temperature of methanol are the only parameters we have to handle. In this study, synthetic conditions for highly crystalline and large area graphene have been optimized by adjusting pressure and temperature; the effect of each parameter was analyzed systematically by Raman, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscope, four-point-probe measurement, and UV-Vis. Defect density of graphene, represented by D/G ratio in Raman, decreased with increasing temperature and decreasing pressure; it negatively affected electrical conductivity. From our process and various analyses, methanol CVD growth for graphene has been found to be a safe, cheap, easy, and simple method to produce high quality, large area, and continuous graphene films.

Hybrid electrode based on carbon nanotube and graphene for ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

We report on a transparent current-spreading electrode that combines carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene for UV-LEDs. We compared the device performance and long-term stability of this CNT–graphene hybrid electrode (CGE) with those of the silver nanowire–graphene electrode (SGE) reported previously. Both types of electrode offered excellent UV transmittance and reduced sheet resistance through the bridging effect for grain boundaries and defects in graphene by nanotubes or nanowires. UV-LEDs using such electrodes offered reduced forward voltage and enhanced electroluminescence intensity, but the device with the CGE showed excellent stability whereas the SGE degraded with time.

Catalyst and doping methods for arc graphene

Nitrogen-doped graphene synthesis with ∼g scale has been accomplished using the arc discharge method. The defects formed in the synthesis process were reduced by adding various metal catalysts, among which Bi2O3 was found to be the most effective. Adding dopants to the starting materials increased the electrical conductivity of the graphene product, and the doping concentration in graphene was tuned by adjusting the amount of nitrogen dopants. A step-wise technique to fabricate graphene thin films was developed, including dispersion, separation, and filtering processes. The arc graphene can also find its potential application in supercapacitors, taking advantage of its large surface area and improved conductivity by doping.

Facile Synthesis of Highly Crystalline and Large Areal Hexagonal Boron Nitride from Borazine Oligomers

A novel and facile synthetic method for h-BN films from borazine oligomer (B3N3H4)x precursors has been developed. This method only includes spin-coating of borazine oligomer onto nickel catalysts and a subsequent annealing step. Large areal and highly crystalline h-BN films were obtained. The stoichiometric B/N ratio of borazine oligomer precursor was preserved in the final h-BN product such that it was close to 1 as revealed by XPS. Catalytic effect of nickel for h-BN formation was clearly demonstrated by lowering crystallization temperature compared to the growth condition in the absence of catalyst. The graphene field effect transistor (GFET) characterization has proved the high quality synthesis of h-BN films, showing the shift of neutrality point and the increase of the mobility. This method can also provide functional h-BN coating on various surfaces by annealing Ni-coated borazine oligomer films and subsequent removal of Ni catalyst.