Rapid large-scale Characterization of CVD Graphene Layers on Glass using Fluorescence Quenching Microscopy

ABSTRACTThe exceptional electrical, optical, and mechanical properties of graphene make it a promising material for many industrial applications such as solar cells, semiconductor devices, and thermal heat sinks. However, the greatest obstacle in the use of graphene in industry is high-throughput scaling of its production and characterization. Chemical-vapor deposition growth of graphene has allowed for industrial-scale graphene production. In this work we introduce complimentary high-throughput metrology technique for characterization of chemical-vapor deposition-grown graphene. This metrology technique provides quick identification of thickness and uniformity of entire large-area chemical-vapor deposition-grown graphene sheets on a glass substrate and allows for easy identification of folds and cracks in the graphene samples. This metrology technique utilizes fluorescence quenching microscopy, which is based on resonant energy transfer between a dye molecule and graphene, to increase allow graphene visualization on the glass substrate and increase the contrast between graphene layers.