Patent ID: 8518491

Claim:
A process for functionalizing a surface of an epitaxial graphene sample (EG sample) for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of a dielectric in an ALD reactor, the process comprising: (1) subjecting the EG sample to an ex situ functionalization step, the ex situ functionalization step comprising exposing the EG sample to a fluorine gas diluted in an inert carrier gas outside the ALD reactor, the fluorine gas forming C—F bonds on the surface of the EG sample capable of nucleation of dielectrics thereon; and (2) subjecting the EG sample having C—F bonds thereon to an in situ treatment cycle to complete the surface functionalization, the in situ treatment cycle comprising a plurality of H 2 O pulses inside the ALD reactor, wherein each of the plurality of H 2 O pulses is separated only by a corresponding purge step; wherein the functionalized surface of the EG sample is configured for the deposition of a smooth and conformal dielectric layer thereon.