IP Library Granted Patent US 9,114,998
Granted Patent B2
US 9,114,998 · App. 13/592,466 · Granted Aug 25, 2015

Methods of fabricating large-area, semiconducting nanoperforated graphene materials

Inventors: Michael S. Arnold (Middleton, WI); Padma Gopalan (Madison, WI); Nathaniel S. Safron (Madison, WI); Myungwoong Kim (Madison, WI)
Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
C01B31/0438B82Y30/00B82Y40/00C01B31/0484
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,114,998
App. No.
13/592,466
Granted
Aug 25, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods for forming a nanoperforated graphene material are provided. The methods comprise forming an etch mask defining a periodic array of holes over a graphene material and patterning the periodic array of holes into the graphene material. The etch mask comprises a pattern-defining block copolymer layer, and can optionally also comprise a wetting layer and a neutral layer. The nanoperforated graphene material can consist of a single sheet of graphene or a plurality of graphene sheets.

Claims (19)

1. An etch mask structure for a graphene material, the structure comprising an etch mask disposed over a graphene material, wherein the etch mask comprises a wetting layer in contact with the graphene material, a neutral layer comprising a copolymer disposed over the wetting layer, and a pattern-defining block copolymer layer disposed over the neutral layer, wherein the pattern-defining block copolymer is phase segregated into a pattern of domains; and further wherein the neutral layer is characterized in that is induces the formation of the pattern of domains in the pattern-defining block copolymer.

2. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the wetting layer is a layer of silicon oxide.

3. The structure of claim 2 , wherein the layer of silicon oxide has a thickness of about 5 to about 20 nm.

4. The structure of claim 2 , wherein the neutral layer comprises a copolymer polymerized from vinyl monomers and acrylate monomers.

5. The structure of claim 4 , wherein the pattern-defining block copolymer is polymerized from vinyl monomers and acrylate monomers.

6. The structure of claim 5 , wherein the pattern-defining block copolymer is P(S-b-MMA).

7. The structure of claim 2 , wherein the graphene material consists of a single layer of graphene.

8. The structure of claim 2 , wherein the graphene material comprises highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.

9. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the wetting layer comprises a self-assembled monolayer.

10. The structure of claim 9 , wherein the self-assembled monolayer comprises molecules having a first end that is sufficiently polar to undergo an attractive interaction with the copolymer of the neutral layer and a second end comprising a plurality of conjugated rings that undergo a π-π stacking interaction with the graphene material.

11. The structure of claim 10 , wherein the first end of the molecules comprise an acid group and second end of the molecules comprise at least three fused six-member aromatic rings.

12. The structure of claim 11 , wherein the molecules are pyrene butyric acid molecules.

13. The structure of claim 9 , wherein the neutral layer comprises a copolymer polymerized from vinyl monomers and acrylate monomers.

14. The structure of claim 13 , wherein the pattern-defining block copolymer is polymerized from vinyl monomers and acrylate monomers.

15. The structure of claim 14 , wherein the pattern-defining block copolymer is P(S-b-MMA).

16. The structure of claim 9 , wherein the graphene material consists of a single layer of graphene.

17. The structure of claim 9 , wherein the graphene material comprises highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.

18. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the graphene material consists of a single layer of graphene.

19. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the graphene material comprises highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 9, 2015
From: ARNOLD, MICHAEL; GOPALAN, PADMA; KIM, MYUNGWOONG; SAFRON, NATHANIEL
To: WISCONSIN ALUMNI RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 036521/0292 →
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Jul 22, 2015
From: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON
To: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 036150/0988 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 13013531 · Jan 25, 2011
Provisional Application 61298302 · Jan 26, 2010
Related Publication 20120325405A1 · Dec 27, 2012