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石墨烯光调制器。该方法是系统地探索石墨烯独特的电光特性，并基于新型波导和平台大大增强石墨烯与光的相互作用。特别是，波导中的石墨烯可以用合适的栅极电压调谐具有异常光学特性，这将用于开发所提出的调制器。本项目将系统探索基于石墨烯独特特性的新型石墨烯夹层光波导。这项提议的研究将是首次在纳米尺度上展示光学调制器的实验尝试之一，也是石墨烯用于全光调制的首次系统探索之一。该研究成果将彻底改变纳米光子技术和片上光学互连技术，并将为新发展的石墨烯光电子学和石墨烯与二维半导体物理提供基础理论和技术。石墨烯是公众非常感兴趣的话题。这项名为“从石墨到石墨烯”的外展活动将通过向K-12学生介绍广泛应用的纳米技术的科学和制造来帮助STEM教育。参与这项研究的学生将参与纳米技术的发展，研究活动的成果将被纳入几门大学课程。与外部公司的合作可以使工业和军事应用的有价值的产品商业化。来自工程女性和北极星项目的代表性不足的学生将参与该项目。

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.