Graphene-based electrically reconfigurable THz aperture arrays for imaging applications

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Objective: we aim to design and develop a room temperature graphene-based THz reconfigurable aperture array to realize video-rate THz imaging based on compressive sensing. The proposed device promises an elegant solution to the long standing problem in realizing THz modulation. By electrostatically tuning the Fermi level in a pair of capacitively coupled graphene sheets, the THz transmission intensity can be tuned from 90% to 10%, thus pointing ways to fabricate high speed, high resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio and low-cost THz imagers.Intellectual Merit: THz modulation enabled by intraband transitions in graphene, is another attractive real-world application of graphene besides transparent conductors and frequency multipliers etc. We will also answer questions regarding energy band alignment in graphene/semiconductor heterojunctions, large-area graphene preparation and passivation and electromagnetic interactions in metematerial structures made of graphene and metal.Broader Impact: The high-speed and efficient THz modulators based on graphene are of immense interest to both the THz and graphene community. Graduate students will be trained in the emergent fields of THz and nanomaterials and they are also an integral element of the designed outreach activities to disseminate the new discoveries to the general audience including undergraduate students, school teachers and K-12 students.