Graphene-based semiconductor chip for tunable THz plasmon generation

US10901243B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Regents of the University of California · US

Inventors

• Chee Wei Wong · New York, US
• Baicheng Yao · Chengdu, CN
• Yuan-Fu Liu · Los Angeles, US
• Xiangfeng Duan · Los Angeles, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 9, 2017
• Grant date: Jan 26, 2021
• Expiry date: Aug 25, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02F1/011
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing all-optically generated, on-chip propagated and high-efficiency tunable plasmons are described. The plasmon generating apparatus includes a graphene based silicon nitride waveguide (GSiNW) utilizing ‘C+L’ band light sources and detectors that take advantage of the surface 2nd nonlinearity on graphene. The optical generation is accomplished via one or more optical communication lasers through the difference-frequency generation process. The THz frequency and intensity is tunable via an external gate voltage. Using such a device the optical to THz conversion may be made at least an order of magnitude more efficient than prior THz sources, and can be used to make chip-scale room-temperature THz sources, switches, modulators and detectors based on graphene.