Integrated Photonic, Electronic and Spintronic Devices Based on Graphene

Laboratory Directed Research and Development

Feng Wang, Michael Crommie, Alex Zettl

The goal of this project is to explore integrated graphene devices for photonic, optoelectronic, and energy applications, such as tunable infrared lasers based on graphene, or optoelectronic devices utilizing the quantum behavior of electrons, or efficient thermal energy scavengers converting infrared thermal radiation to electrical energy. If successful, such applications could have broad impact in areas such as information technology, communication and energy.
Based on our recent discovery of strong, gate-variable graphene optical transitions and the unprecedented widely tunable electronic bandgap in bilayer graphene, this project will explore the unique coupling of optical, electrical, and spin excitations in graphene. It will draw upon our extensive expertise in photophysics of low dimensional nanostructures.   Graphene structures with engineered electronic structures will be designed and fabricated using advanced lithography techniques. Combined electrical and optical excitation and characterization will be performed on the same graphene nanodevices. Light emission processes and its dynamics will be investigated by ultrafast infrared spectroscopy.  The optical characterization will extend the existing collaborations with the infrared beamline of the Advanced Light Source and the optical spectroscopy facility of the Molecular Foundry.