Ultracompact Graphene Optical Modulators

本研究的目的是探索用于未来片上光通信的超紧凑型石墨烯光调制器。该方法是系统地探索石墨烯独特的电光性质，并基于新型的光波导和平台极大地增强石墨烯与光的相互作用。特别是，石墨烯在波导中可以通过适当的门电压调节具有反常的光学性质，这将被用来开发所提出的调制器。智能价值本项目将基于石墨烯的独特性质，系统地探索新型的石墨烯夹层光波导。这项拟议的研究将是第一次在纳米尺度上展示光调制器的实验尝试之一，也是第一次利用石墨烯进行全光调制的系统探索之一。这些研究成果可能会给纳米光子技术和片上光学互连带来革命性的变化，并将为新开发的石墨烯光电子学和石墨烯和二维半导体物理提供基础理论和技术。这项名为“从石墨到石墨烯”的推广活动将通过向K-12学生介绍纳米技术的广泛应用领域的科学和制造，帮助STEM教育。参与这项研究的学生将参与纳米技术的开发，研究活动产生的结果将被纳入几个大学课程。与外部公司的合作可能会将有价值的工业和军事应用产品商业化。来自工程女性和北极星计划的代表不足的学生将参与这个项目。

The objective of this research is to explore ultracompact graphene optical modulators for future on-chip optical communications. The approach is to systematically explore the unique electro-optic properties of graphene, and to greatly enhance the interaction of graphene with light based on novel waveguides and platforms. In particular, graphene in a waveguide can be tuned with anomalous optical properties with a suitable gate voltage, which will be employed to develop the proposed modulators.The intellectual meritThis project will systematically explore novel graphene-sandwiched optical waveguides based on the unique properties of graphene. This proposed research will be one of the first experimental attempts to demonstrate optical modulators at nanoscale, and one of the first systematic explorations of graphene for all-optic modulation. The research results may revolutionize nanophotonic technology and on-chip optical interconnects, and will contribute the fundamental theory and techniques for newly developed Graphene Optoelectronics and Graphene and 2D Semiconductor Physics.The broader impacts Graphene is a topic that is of great interest to the general public. The outreach activity, "From Graphite to Graphene", will help STEM education by introducing K-12 students to the science and fabrication of nanotechnology for a wide range of applications. The students involved in this research will participate in nanotechnology development, and the results developed from the research activities will be incorporated into several college courses. Collaboration with external companies may commercialize valuable products for industrial and military applications. Under-represented students from Women in Engineering and North Star Program will be involved in this project.