Speed Record Set By Graphene Photodetectors

A team of researchers from Graphene Flagship that was working for the Tu Vienna Austria and AMO, Germany recently reported record breaking speed of photodetectors. These photodetectors were able to move at a record breaking speed of 100Gbit/s. The team claims that these photodetectors have the highest bandwidth that has yet been recorded for graphene-based devices. One of the researchers at the TU Vienna, explains the significance of rising data capabilities as, “These kinds of photodetectors are typically used in optical data links, which form the backbone of the internet. The maximum operation speed of a photodetector defines the maximum data rate the detector can receive. So, the faster the photodetector, the more data it can receive.”

These photodetectors are being said of highly sensitive nature due to their compact structure. This allows their usage alongside several other optoelectronic instruments along with the switches that are located in dense and integrated chips. Schuler adds, “This could open the path towards a complete integration on one CMOS chip. Graphene will be the enabling material for realizing high performance photodetectors on a silicon platform.” Inside these photodetectors, light rays get guided into a different slot of wavelength that generates a current in graphene through the photothermoelectric effect; this converts light in electrical signal. The sensitivity of these detectors can, thus, be tuned electronically without giving up on speed. Consequently, this enables ultrafast data rate and high bandwidth.

The lead author of this paper, Daniel Neumaier, from AMO Germany, also adds that, “This is an important step towards high performance on-chip photodetectors, demonstrating that competitive speed and sensitivity can be achieved in graphene photodetectors in a highly controlled way.” Currently, Graphene Flagship is focusing on on-chip integration of various graphene enabled technologies. In order to take a technology like this directly, it is mandatory to place these in optoelectronic chips. Neumaier says, “The next step towards applications will be the transition into a CMOS line, which is one focused activity in the Electronics and Photonics Integration Division of the Graphene Flagship project.”