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Algimantas Lukša, a researcher in the Department of Physical Technologies of Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), has been awarded a Doctor of Science degree. He defended his thesis titled "Investigation of the properties of graphene layers on insulating substrates: their dependence on growing conditions and interaction with humidity" (scientific supervisor: dr.(hp) Arūnas Šetkus).

Congratulations to our colleague and best wishes for creative scientific achievements!

In his dissertation, Algimantas has shown how a graphene-like layer can be grown directly on a dielectric substrate at a lower growth temperature than the standard chemical vapour deposition process. This is a much simpler method than standard chemical vapour deposition, which requires high growth temperatures (≈ 1000 ºC) and an additional catalyst layer for growth.

"Since the standard process allows the layer to grow on the catalyst, the application of the layer requires a transfer technology. To lower the growth temperature and grow directly on the dielectric substrate, plasma-initiated chemical vapour deposition was used in this work, in which the carbon precursor is decomposed by the plasma, lowering the growth temperature. This thesis also demonstrated the application of the grown films for the detection of water vapour/droplets. Although the layers are not perfect, they are suitable for the formation of detectors," says the new doctor of physics.

Algimantas says that the ability to grow graphene-like layers directly on the substrate makes it easier to integrate such layers into device development technologies. This enables the production and development of a wide range of sensors, detectors or other devices.

"The most difficult part of the thesis was growing the layer itself. The equipment is not designed for growing such layers, so a lot of work had to be invested before even a minimal result was achieved. I am therefore very happy that I was able to grow the layers directly on the dielectric substrate. It is also great that I was able to demonstrate the application of the layer for the formation of a water vapour/droplet detector," says Dr A. Lukša.

FTMC information