Strain, Bubbles, Dirt, and Folds: A Study of Graphene Polymer-Assisted Transfer

For many applications, in particular in electronics, where chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene is used, it needs to be transferred from the growth substrate to the device substrate, generally employing a polymer film as a support layer. This process step is crucial for the overall integrity and electronic performance of the graphene. In this work we will investigate the effects of the transfer using various polymers with atomic force, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy combined with field dependent transport measurements to build up a complete picture regarding the morphology, structural integrity and electrical performance of CVD graphene. Further, we introduce nitrocellulose based polymer alternatives to the most commonly used poly(methyl methacrylate) resist, outperforming the latter in most respects.