  Appropriate conditions for direct growth of graphitic films on Si(111)
7$\times$7 are investigated. The structural and electronic properties of the
samples are studied by Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), X-ray Photoemission
Spectroscopy (XPS), Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), Raman spectroscopy
and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM). In particular, we present STM images
of a carbon honeycomb lattice grown directly on Si(111). Our results
demonstrate that the quality of graphene films formed depends not only on the
substrate temperature but also on the carbon buffer layer at the interface.
This method might be very promising for graphene-based electronics and its
integration into the silicon technology.
