US Patent 8043687 - Graphene layer growth

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8043687.html

This patent from HP may provide a step forward for the mass production of graphene films useful for the development of higher speed nanoelectronics. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for forming a graphene layer, the method comprising:

establishing an insulating layer on a substrate such that at least one seed region is formed therein, the insulating layer including a first surface that faces the substrate and a second surface opposed to the first surface that faces away from the substrate; and

exposing a seed material in the at least one seed region to a carbon-containing precursor gas, thereby initiating nucleation of the graphene layer on the seed material and enabling lateral growth of the graphene layer along at least a portion of the second surface of the insulating layer.