On October 16th, the 2020 China International Graphene Innovation Conference was held, where new materials such as ultra-flat copper-nickel alloy single-crystal wafers, 8-inch graphene single-crystal wafers, and germanium-based graphene wafers were unveiled, showcasing China's innovative achievements in high-quality graphene materials. Driven by the Shanghai Graphene Industry Technology Functional Platform, the research team has achieved small-batch production of these achievements, leading internationally in terms of product size and quality.

    In 2009, the research team from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, targeted the key issues in the preparation of graphene single crystals and their applications in electronic devices, embarking on tackling these challenges. "Just like the material for manufacturing silicon chips is silicon single-crystal wafers, if you want to use graphene and other carbon-based two-dimensional materials to achieve integrated electronic devices, initiating a revolution in microelectronics technology, you must prepare large size, high-quality graphene single-crystal wafers," said Wu Tianru, Associate Researcher of the Institute.

    It can be said that after ten years of hard work, with the support of major national scientific and technological projects and Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan projects, the research team aimed at the high ground of high-quality graphene preparation and high-performance device technology. They focused on the controllable preparation of wafer-level graphene single crystals, concentrating on the development and expansion of new functions and applications of graphene. From growing monolayers to single crystals, and then to atomically flat large-area wafers, Shanghai scientists have finally upgraded graphene from samples of a few micrometers peeled off with tape to 8-inch wafers that can be produced on a large scale.

    To realize the mass production of graphene wafers as soon as possible, the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, signed an agreement with the Shanghai Graphene Functional Platform last September, offering cost-competitive industrial applications. Moreover, atomically thin graphene materials can act as powerful sensors for various physical parameters (chemical composition, humidity, temperature, strain, etc.). These single-chip sensing platforms, combined with radio frequency identification antennas, can be used as remotely readable detectors.

    The small-batch production of graphene wafers has laid the foundation for the research and development of a new generation of domestic electronic devices. At present, some electronic components based on graphene and used for data communication are undergoing prototype demonstrations in the industry. Among them, electronic and photonic components have been integrated into transmission systems and validated, achieving high-speed, low-power data or telephone communications. The optoelectronic modules of graphene photodetectors can detect the entire band from visible light to thermal ranges. Under the CAS and China Electronics Group, breakthroughs have been made in the core processes of graphene terahertz detector devices, high-performance radio frequency transistors, and other electronic devices using Shanghai research materials.

Article transferred from WeChat Public Account "Shanghai Science and Technology".