IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v13y2022i1d10.1038_s41467-022-34170-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Strongly enhanced THz generation enabled by a graphene hot-carrier fast lane

Author

Listed:
  • Dehui Zhang

    (University of Michigan)

  • Zhen Xu

    (University of Michigan)

  • Gong Cheng

    (University of Michigan)

  • Zhe Liu

    (University of Michigan)

  • Audrey Rose Gutierrez

    (University of Michigan)

  • Wenzhe Zang

    (University of Michigan)

  • Theodore B. Norris

    (University of Michigan)

  • Zhaohui Zhong

    (University of Michigan)

Abstract

Semiconductor photoconductive switches are useful and versatile emitters of terahertz (THz) radiation with a broad range of applications in THz imaging and time-domain spectroscopy. One fundamental challenge for achieving efficient ultrafast switching, however, is the relatively long carrier lifetime in most common semiconductors. To obtain picosecond ultrafast pulses, especially when coupled with waveguides/transmission lines, semiconductors are typically engineered with high defect density to reduce the carrier lifetimes, which in turn lowers the overall power output of the photoconductive switches. To overcome this fundamental trade-off, here we present a new hybrid photoconductive switch design by engineering a hot-carrier fast lane using graphene on silicon. While photoexcited carriers are generated in the silicon layer, similar to a conventional switch, the hot carriers are transferred to the graphene layer for efficient collection at the contacts. As a result, the graphene-silicon hybrid photoconductive switch emits THz fields with up to 80 times amplitude enhancement compared to its graphene-free counterpart. These results both further the understanding of ultrafast hot carrier transport in such hybrid systems and lay the groundwork toward intrinsically more powerful THz devices based on 2D-3D hybrid heterostructures.

Suggested Citation

  • Dehui Zhang & Zhen Xu & Gong Cheng & Zhe Liu & Audrey Rose Gutierrez & Wenzhe Zang & Theodore B. Norris & Zhaohui Zhong, 2022. "Strongly enhanced THz generation enabled by a graphene hot-carrier fast lane," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-34170-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34170-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-34170-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-022-34170-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dehui Zhang & Zhen Xu & Zhengyu Huang & Audrey Rose Gutierrez & Cameron J. Blocker & Che-Hung Liu & Miao-Bin Lien & Gong Cheng & Zhe Liu & Il Yong Chun & Jeffrey A. Fessler & Zhaohui Zhong & Theodore , 2021. "Neural network based 3D tracking with a graphene transparent focal stack imaging system," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Leonhard Prechtel & Li Song & Dieter Schuh & Pulickel Ajayan & Werner Wegscheider & Alexander W. Holleitner, 2012. "Time-resolved ultrafast photocurrents and terahertz generation in freely suspended graphene," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 1-7, January.
    3. K. S. Novoselov & V. I. Fal′ko & L. Colombo & P. R. Gellert & M. G. Schwab & K. Kim, 2012. "A roadmap for graphene," Nature, Nature, vol. 490(7419), pages 192-200, October.
    4. Seunghyun Lee & Kyunghoon Lee & Chang-Hua Liu & Girish S. Kulkarni & Zhaohui Zhong, 2012. "Flexible and transparent all-graphene circuits for quaternary digital modulations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 1-7, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jia Yen Lai & Lock Hei Ngu & Siti Salwa Hashim, 2021. "A review of CO2 adsorbents performance for different carbon capture technology processes conditions," Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 11(5), pages 1076-1117, October.
    2. Li, Yong & Song, Jian & Yang, Jie, 2015. "Graphene models and nano-scale characterization technologies for fuel cell vehicle electrodes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 66-77.
    3. Li, Yong & Yang, Jie & Song, Jian, 2017. "Structure models and nano energy system design for proton exchange membrane fuel cells in electric energy vehicles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 160-172.
    4. Jaimes-Paez, C.D. & Morallón, E. & Cazorla-Amorós, D., 2023. "Few layers graphene-based electrocatalysts for ORR synthesized by electrochemical exfoliation methods," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PA).
    5. Daniel Rueda-García & María del Rocío Rodríguez-Laguna & Emigdio Chávez-Angel & Deepak P. Dubal & Zahilia Cabán-Huertas & Raúl Benages-Vilau & Pedro Gómez-Romero, 2019. "From Thermal to Electroactive Graphene Nanofluids," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-11, November.
    6. Di Blasi, O. & Briguglio, N. & Busacca, C. & Ferraro, M. & Antonucci, V. & Di Blasi, A., 2015. "Electrochemical investigation of thermically treated graphene oxides as electrode materials for vanadium redox flow battery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 74-81.
    7. Wang, Chang & Geng, Hongjun & Sun, Rui & Song, Huiling, 2022. "Technological potential analysis and vacant technology forecasting in the graphene field based on the patent data mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    8. Christos Kalantaridis, 2019. "Is university ownership a sub-optimal property rights regime for commercialisation? Information conditions and entrepreneurship in Greater Manchester, England," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 231-249, February.
    9. Li, Yong & Yang, Jie & Song, Jian, 2017. "Nano energy system model and nanoscale effect of graphene battery in renewable energy electric vehicle," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 652-663.
    10. Maik Simon & Halid Mulaosmanovic & Violetta Sessi & Maximilian Drescher & Niladri Bhattacharjee & Stefan Slesazeck & Maciej Wiatr & Thomas Mikolajick & Jens Trommer, 2022. "Three-to-one analog signal modulation with a single back-bias-controlled reconfigurable transistor," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    11. Vladimir S. Prudkovskiy & Yiran Hu & Kaimin Zhang & Yue Hu & Peixuan Ji & Grant Nunn & Jian Zhao & Chenqian Shi & Antonio Tejeda & David Wander & Alessandro Cecco & Clemens B. Winkelmann & Yuxuan Jian, 2022. "An epitaxial graphene platform for zero-energy edge state nanoelectronics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    12. Hai Hu & Renwen Yu & Hanchao Teng & Debo Hu & Na Chen & Yunpeng Qu & Xiaoxia Yang & Xinzhong Chen & A. S. McLeod & Pablo Alonso-González & Xiangdong Guo & Chi Li & Ziheng Yao & Zhenjun Li & Jianing Ch, 2022. "Active control of micrometer plasmon propagation in suspended graphene," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    13. Sanjay K. Arora & Jan Youtie & Philip Shapira & Lidan Gao & TingTing Ma, 2013. "Entry strategies in an emerging technology: a pilot web-based study of graphene firms," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 95(3), pages 1189-1207, June.
    14. Akbari, Elnaz & Buntat, Zolkafle & Nikoukar, Ali & Kheirandish, Azadeh & Khaledian, Mohsen & Afroozeh, Abdolkarim, 2016. "Sensor application in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1125-1139.
    15. Xinyu Huang & Luman Zhang & Lei Tong & Zheng Li & Zhuiri Peng & Runfeng Lin & Wenhao Shi & Kan-Hao Xue & Hongwei Dai & Hui Cheng & Danilo de Camargo Branco & Jianbin Xu & Junbo Han & Gary J. Cheng & X, 2023. "Manipulating exchange bias in 2D magnetic heterojunction for high-performance robust memory applications," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    16. Dehui Zhang & Dong Xu & Yuhang Li & Yi Luo & Jingtian Hu & Jingxuan Zhou & Yucheng Zhang & Boxuan Zhou & Peiqi Wang & Xurong Li & Bijie Bai & Huaying Ren & Laiyuan Wang & Ao Zhang & Mona Jarrahi & Yu , 2024. "Broadband nonlinear modulation of incoherent light using a transparent optoelectronic neuron array," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    17. Wasim Akhtar & Muhammad Shoaib & Imran Mahmood Khan & Sobia Niazi & Lin Yue & Zhouping Wang & Wasim Akhtar & Muhammad Shoaib & Imran Mahmood Khan & Sobia Niazi & Lin Yue & Zhouping Wang & Husnain Raza, 2020. "Improved Bactericidal Activity of Polyethylenimine Grafted Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 27(2), pages 20616-20624, April.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-34170-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.