Electrical, Transport and Optical Properties of Multifunctional Graphitic Films Synthesized on Dielectric Surfaces by Nickel Nanolayer Assisted Pyrolysis

We demonstrate that predepositing on the dielectric surface a nanometrically thin nickel film is sufficient to transform amorphous pyrolyzed photoresist film (PPF) into a graphitic film (GRF) enriched with nickel particles. The GRF shows three orders of magnitude higher carrier mobility than that of amorphous PPF, while its electrical conductivity doubles after etching away the nickel remains. The pronounced 2D peak in the Raman spectrum, almost dispersionless absorbance in the spectral range of 750 – 2000 nm, and saturable absorption coefficient indicate that GRF possesses graphene-like band structure. The proposed cost-efficient and scalable synthesis route opens avenues towards fabrication of micron size patterned graphitic structures of any shape directly on a dielectric substrate. Having graphene-like transport and electrical properties at the 20 times higher absorbance than the single layer graphene, GRF is attractive for fabrication of fast modulators of optical radiation, bolometers and other photonics and optoelectronic devices that require an enhanced optical absorption.