  Growth of epitaxial graphene on the C-face of SiC has been investigated.
Using a confinement controlled sublimation (CCS) method, we have achieved well
controlled growth and been able to observe propagation of uniform monolayer
graphene. Surface patterns uncover two important aspects of the growth, i.e.
carbon diffusion and stoichiometric requirement. Moreover, a new "stepdown"
growth mode has been discovered. Via this mode, monolayer graphene domains can
have an area of hundreds of square micrometers, while, most importantly, step
bunching is avoided and the initial uniformly stepped SiC surface is preserved.
The stepdown growth provides a possible route towards uniform epitaxial
graphene in wafer size without compromising the initial flat surface morphology
of SiC.
