Our research, published this week in Nature Nanotechnology, describes a new type of graphene-based detector that overcomes some of the limitations of conventional THz technology. The device exploits the very unique optical and thermal properties of graphene to achieve a noise-equivalent power that rivals the best available THz detectors, and a speed that far exceeds that of bolometers and pyroelectric detectors. Even more remarkable is that the spectral responsivity spans an unprecedented range of frequencies, from near-infrared down to terahertz.
X. Cai, A. B. Sushkov, R. J. Suess, M. M. Jadidi, G. S. Jenkins, L. O. Nyakiti, R. L. Myers-Ward, S. Li, J. Yan, D. K. Gaskill, T. E. Murphy, H. D. Drew and M. S. Fuhrer, “Sensitive room-temperature terahertz detection via the photothermoelectric effect in graphene”, Nature Nanotechnology (2014)
doi: 10.1038/nnano.2014.182
