Graphene production using laser heated crystal growth
View Patent ↗Implementations and techniques for producing graphene are generally disclosed.
1. An apparatus for producing graphene comprising:
a seed crystal affixed to a support substrate such that the seed crystal faces substantially downwardly from the support substrate about a location;
a feedstock injector configured to provide a feedstock;
a laser configured to selectively generate a laser beam;
beam shaping optics configured to couple the laser beam to at least a portion of the seed crystal and at least a portion of the feedstock about the location to form a downwardly hanging graphene crystal; and
an electrostatic enclosure configured to selectively provide an electrostatic field, wherein the electrostatic field is effective to apply a straightening force to the downwardly hanging graphene crystal.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the support substrate comprises at least one of silicon carbide, silicon dioxide or copper.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the seed crystal comprises a graphene seed crystal having a crystal growth axis aligned such that the feedstock from the feedstock injector and the laser beam are provided incident to the crystal growth axis.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the seed crystal is affixed to the support substrate with an epoxy.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock comprises at least one of carbon, graphite particles, an oxidizer or a reducer.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the laser comprises at least one of a CO 2 laser, a Nd:YAG laser or a laser diode.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the beam shaping optics comprise a reflaxicon.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the laser and the beam shaping optics are cooperatively configured to provide multiple laser beams in a linear two dimensional array.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a process unit control logic coupled to the feedstock injector and the laser, wherein the process unit control logic is configured to selectively activate the feedstock injector to inject the feedstock and also configured to selectively activate the laser to provide the laser beam.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock injector and the support substrate are moved relative to each other such that the support substrate moves while the feedstock injector remains stationary.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock is provided in a laminar flow regime.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam comprises at least one of a linear shape or a rectangular shape.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the laser beam is configured to heat at least a portion of the seed crystal and at least a portion of the feedstock about the location.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the laser, the feedstock injector, and a crystal removal device are configured to be one of: automatically actuated and robotically actuated.