Bandgap-Tunable Graphene Nanoribbons for High Speed, Ultra-Wide-Band Photodetectors

该项目由电气、通信和网络系统(ECCS)的电子、光子学和磁性器件(EPMD)计划和材料研究部(DMR)的电子和光子材料(EPM)计划联合资助。该计划的目标是研究主动控制的石墨烯纳米带阵列的电光性质，目标是使带隙的原位应变可调用于超宽光谱范围的红外探测器。计划中的实验为热电效应和内置电场之间的相互作用提供了新的见解，这是由于肖特基势垒对整个光电流产生的影响。此外，具有良好边缘手性的石墨烯纳米带的受控驱动为研究锯齿形和扶手椅形边缘的外加应力、带隙开放和红外吸收之间的关系提供了重要的见解。该装置可以探测波长范围内的太赫兹辐射，效率类似于测辐射热计，但速度和波长敏捷性要高得多。更广泛的影响是，所提出的装置概念的演示可以实现广泛的应用，包括雾天环境中的高速通信、光学互连、太赫兹探测、成像、遥感和光谱学。计划中的教育举措为学生提供科学和工程方面的培训，特别侧重于与工程领域妇女方案和倡导者网络以及全国工程领域少数群体行动委员会合作，招收和指导来自代表性不足的少数群体的学生。该计划还将与史蒂文斯的科学和工程教育创新中心合作，将这一努力扩展到K-12外展努力。

This project is jointly funded by the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) Program in the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) and the Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM) Program in the Division of Materials Research (DMR).The objective of this program is to investigate the electro-optical properties of actively controlled graphene nanoribbon arrays with the goal to enable in-situ strain tunability of the bandgap for applications in infrared detectors covering an ultra-wide spectral range.The intellectual merit is that the planned experiments provide new insights into the interplay between thermoelectric effects and built-in electric fields due to the Schottky barriers to the overall photocurrent generation. Furthermore, the controlled actuation of graphene nanoribbons with well defined edge chirality provides important insights into the relation between applied stress, band gap opening, and infrared absorption, for zigzag and armchair edges. The proposed device can detect terahertz radiation over a wavelength range with efficiencies similar to bolometers, but at much higher speed and with wavelength agility.The broader impacts are that demonstration of the proposed device concept can enable a wide range of applications including high-speed communication in foggy environments, optical interconnects, terahertz detection, imaging, remote sensing, and spectroscopy. The planned educational initiatives provide training for students in science and engineering with a special focus on recruiting and mentoring students from under-represented minorities in partnership with the Women in Engineering Program and Advocates Network and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. The program will also work with the Center for Innovation in Science and Engineering Education at Stevens to extend this effort to K-12 outreach endeavors.