SHF: Small: Collaborative Research: Graphene Circuits for Analog, Mixed-Signal, and RF Applications

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Graphene transistors are widely considered exciting candidates for analog, mixed-signal, and radio frequency systems in high-frequency applications. This collaborative research project is aimed at the design, development, and demonstration of monolithically integrated graphene circuits for radio frequency and analog mixed-signal systems. It will add to the core knowledge of the principles of circuit design based on ambipolar graphene field-effect transistors, with an emphasis on amplifiers, phase detectors, and comparators - three promising candidate solutions for practical radio frequency applications. Through closely coordinated theoretical, computational, and experimental efforts, it will be demonstrated that such graphene circuits can not only reduce the complexity of the electronic circuits, but also realize larger bandwidth, higher frequency, and lower power consumption than state-of-the-art circuits implemented with conventional semiconductor materials.The broader impact of this project includes technical advances required to harness the early science of graphene transistors into practical solutions for radio frequency applications. The graphene circuits to be designed and demonstrated in this project can be used in consumer electronics and communication gadgets such as smart-phones as well as in radars and wireless sensors. The unique material properties of graphene combined with the innovative circuit designs that exploit these properties are expected to lead to major increase in the performance of the radio frequency devices as well as a reduction in their weight and power consumption. Another core outcome of this project with broad technological impact will be an integrated test-bed and web-based resources to facilitate research in graphene electronics. Through collaborations with a broad range of academic, industry, and government investigators, this collaborative effort will strengthen ties between the device, circuit, and radio frequency communities, and accelerate convergence to key design parameters essential for the large scale integration and application of graphene electronics. The project plan will help in educating undergraduate and graduate students in technical disciplines in both participating universities. The project will produce a positive impact on educating students underrepresented in science and engineering via their early involvement in the practically relevant computational and experimental research.