• 文献标题:   Indirect Modulation of a Terahertz Quantum Cascade Laser Using Gate Tunable Graphene
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   BADHWAR S, PUDDY R, KIDAMBI PR, SIBIK J, BREWER A, FREEMAN JR, BEERE HE, HOFMANN S, ZEITLER JA, RITCHIE DA
  • 作者关键词:   graphene, terahertz thz, quantum cascade laser qcl, modulator
  • 出版物名称:   IEEE PHOTONICS JOURNAL
  • ISSN:   1943-0655 EI 1943-0647
  • 通讯作者地址:   Univ Cambridge
  • 被引频次:   7
  • DOI:   10.1109/JPHOT.2012.2215312
  • 出版年:   2012

▎ 摘  要

We bring together two areas of terahertz (THz) technology that have benefited from recent advancements in research, i.e., graphene, a material that has plasmonic resonances in the THz frequency, and quantum cascade lasers (QCLs), a compact electrically driven unipolar source of THz radiation. We demonstrate the use of single-layer large-area graphene to indirectly modulate a THz QCL operating at 2.0 THz. By tuning the Fermi level of the graphene via a capacitively coupled backgate voltage, the optical conductivity and, hence, the THz transmission can be varied. We show that, by changing the pulsing frequency of the backgate, the THz transmission can be altered. We also show that, by varying the pulsing frequency of the backgate from tens of Hz to a few kHz, the amplitude-modulated THz signal can be switched by 15% from a "low" state to a "high" state.