Graphene Production Tool

In this STTR program, Structured Materials Industries, Inc. www.structuredmaterials.com (SMI) and our STTR partners will develop a graphene film deposition system, for both research and production applications.  The proposed graphene tool will accommodate wafer sizes up to 6 inch, and will be scalable to larger wafers and high volume production.  The graphene film tool will be high vacuum compatible, with provisions for a wide range of gas inputs, for gas phase doping of graphene.  The tool will also have full provisions for in-situ monitoring, including optical, pyrometric and electron diffraction techniques. In Phase I, SMI will design an alpha prototype of the graphene production tool.  We will test and verify the design concepts, both computationally and experimentally in Phase I.  We can also supply graphene film samples to our Air Force sponsors, throughout the entire course of the Phase I effort, as needed.  In Phase II, SMI will build and demonstrate the alpha prototype tool.  We will supply graphene films to our Air Force sponsors and work with our sponsors to demonstrate graphene films in device applications.  Near the end of Phase II, we will install the alpha prototype tool at a location specified by the Air Force. BENEFIT: Graphene has many unique properties which can be exploited for novel device applications.  The recent discovery of graphene has sparked intense research, both from scientific interest in the material to technological interest in building graphene based nanodevices.  A critical need exists for a reliable and reproducible production tools for graphene films.  This STTR program will develop a graphene tool platform which is scalable from initial research to ultimate high volume production, for smooth transition of graphene technical developments to the marketplace.)