Patent ID: 8460764

Claim:
A method of producing ultra-thin graphitic layers, comprising the actions of: a. placing a carbide crystal into a graphitic enclosure; b. placing the carbide crystal and the graphitic enclosure into a chamber; c. subjecting the carbide crystal and the graphitic enclosure to a predetermined environment; d. once the predetermined environment is established, heating the carbide crystal and the graphitic enclosure to a first temperature for a predetermined period of time sufficient to cause at least one non-carbon element to evaporate from a crystal face of the carbide crystal so as to form at least one graphitic layer on the crystal face of the carbide crystal; and e. reacting residual gaseous reactants in the graphitic enclosure that would act as impurities in the ultra-thin graphitic layers with the graphitic enclosure so as to transform such residual gaseous reactants into substances that will not add impurities to the ultra-thin graphitic layers; and f. placing the carbide crystal and the graphitic enclosure into a conductive receptacle, wherein the heating action includes inductively heating the conductive receptacle by applying radio frequency radiation to the conductive receptacle.