Modification of the CVD-graphene resistivity by post-processing sample annealing

In this paper, we present the results of an additional annealing effect on the temperature dependences of the resistivity for CVD-graphene samples of a large area. We found that an annealing in a Ar/H2 mixture at different temperatures modifies both the value of the resistivity and the slope of its temperature dependence. The annealing effect on the resultant sample quality depends on the type of the ρ(T) dependence for the initial sample. For samples with a metallic-like ρ(T) dependence, a low-temperature annealing (at T = 250 °C) results in a slight decrease in the resistivity value and an increase of the ρ(T) curve slope. Increasing the annealing temperature up to T = 400 °C leads to a stronger increase in the ρ(T) curve slope but to an increase in the resistivity value. For samples with a semiconductor-like ρ(T) dependence, increasing the annealing temperature up to T = 750 °C results in a gradual suppression of the activation character of the resistivity behavior at low temperatures. The additional annealing is concluded to be accompanied by two processes: a cleaning of the graphene surface from adsorbed contaminations and an additional defect formation in the graphene structure. A relative role of these processes in dependence on the annealing temperature and the type of the ρ(T) dependence for the initial sample is discussed.