Patent ID: 8920877

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: (a) immersing the EG sample in an acid solution for several seconds; (b) removing the EG sample from the acid solution and rinsing with H 2 O for several seconds; and (c) immersing the rinsed EG sample in a warm SC1 solution for several minutes to form an OH-terminated surface on the EG sample, the OH-terminated surface being capable of nucleation of dielectrics thereon, wherein the warm SC1 solution comprises NH 4 OH, H 2 O 2 , and deionized water in a 1:1:5 ratio, respectively, and wherein the SC1 solution is at about 80-110° C.; and (2) subjecting the EG sample having an OH-terminated surface to an in situ treatment cycle, the in situ treatment cycle comprising a plurality of H 2 O pulses inside the ALD reactor, each of the plurality of H 2 O pulses being separated only by a corresponding purge step; wherein the functionalized surface of the EG sample is configured for the disposition of a smooth and conformal dielectric layer thereon.