Ultra-Low Damage High-Throughput Sputter Deposition on Graphene

This study systematically investigated the sputtering induced graphene disorder. We identified the energetic sputtering gas neutrals as the primary cause of defects, and we introduced the grazing-angle sputtering that strongly suppressed fast neutral bombardment to retain the structural integrity of the underlying graphene, creating considerably lower damage than electron-beam evaporation while preserving the high deposition rate. Such sputtering technique yielded continuous, smooth thin films, demonstrating its potential for metal contact, gate oxide, and tunnel barrier fabrication in graphene device applications.