Etching effect of hydrogen and oxygen on the chemical vapor deposition graphene on Cu.

• The etching effect on graphene of hydrogen and oxygen was compared. • The etching effect of mixture of hydrogen and oxygen is weaker than that of oxygen. • The mechanisms of the etching effect of hydrogen and oxygen are different. Hydrogen and oxygen are the most commonly used gasses in the growth of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene, which are very important for the growth of CVD graphene. In this work, a series of graphene etching and multistep growth experiments are designed to clarify the etching effect of hydrogen and oxygen to graphene on Cu. The etching effect to graphene in Ar (with oxygen impurities), mixture of H 2 and Ar, and growth atmosphere with different hydrogen concentration are studied in detail. The role of hydrogen and oxygen in graphene growth is further discussed finally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]