Graphene Enables Precise Nanomaterial Placement for Industrial‑Scale Device Integration

Nanomaterials deliver unparalleled optical and electrical characteristics and promise bottom‑up integration into mainstream semiconductor fabrication. Yet, precise, contamination‑free deposition at designated chip sites remains a formidable obstacle. Graphene—exceptionally thin, robust, flexible, and highly conductive—offers a transformative solution.

At IBM Research‑Brazil’s Industrial Technology and Science group, we develop, apply, and scale nanomaterials—particles a millionth of a millimeter—for mass‑production use. Three decades ago, observing and manipulating single atoms was impossible; modern techniques now allow us to probe and model nanoscale behavior.

In our new paper, “Graphene‑enabled and directed nanomaterial placement from solution for large‑scale device integration,” published in Nature Communications, we and our academic collaborators proved for the first time that it is possible to electrify graphene so that it deposits material at any desired location on a solid surface with an almost perfect yield of 97 %.

Using graphene in this way enables wafer‑scale nanomaterial integration with nanometer precision. Not only can we deposit material at a specific nanoscale location, we also demonstrated that this can be performed in parallel across multiple sites—enabling mass‑scale integration. This work has been patented (US9412815B2).

Artistic rendering of electric field‑assisted placement of nanoscale materials between pairs of opposing graphene electrodes structured into a large graphene layer located on top of a solid substrate. Quantum dots (red), carbon nanotubes (grey), and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets (white/grey) are shown as representative 0D, 1D, and 2D nanomaterials that can be assembled at large scale based on the graphene‑based, electric field‑assisted placement method.

Graphene is the thinnest conductive material that can support electric fields. We harness these fields to guide nanomaterials onto a graphene sheet: the engineered shape and pattern of the graphene electrode dictates the final placement. This delivers unprecedented precision for constructing nanomaterials. Traditional methods rely on metals such as copper, but copper cannot be removed cleanly after assembly, jeopardizing performance or destroying the nanomaterial. Graphene offers both precision and easy removal.

The method works regardless of the nanomaterial’s geometry—quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, two‑dimensional nanosheets, etc. We have fabricated functional transistors and evaluated their performance. Beyond electronics, the technique can be applied to particle manipulation and trapping in lab‑on‑chip microfluidics (US20170292934A1).

Advances in graphene‑based nanomaterial placement could enable next‑generation solar cells, faster processors for smartphones and tablets, and quantum devices such as electrically controlled on‑chip quantum light emitters or detectors. Such devices can emit or detect single photons, essential for secure quantum communication.

Evidence from our research indicates that graphene can integrate nanomaterials in ways that standard materials cannot, paving the way for industrial‑scale electronics manufacturing—an objective of the ambitious Graphene Flagship initiative. By partnering with industry, we aim to accelerate knowledge generation, technology development, and adoption of this bottom‑up integration method.

Graphene‑enabled and directed nanomaterial placement from solution for large‑scale device integration. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06604-4.