Graphene-based fast electronics and optoelectronics

Graphene is a covalent 2D electron system comprised of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. It has a unique electronic structure with linear dispersion, vanishing effective mass, extremely high carrier velocities, strong optical absorption over a wide wavelength range, and excellent thermal and mechanical properties. Because of these characteristics there has been a strong interest in using it in electronics and optoelectronics. Because graphene does not have a bandgap, applications in digital devices are currently not possible. However, the limited gate-field induced tunabilty of the current through it and the excellent transport properties recommend it for fast analog applications. Here we will demonstrate and discuss applications in radio-frequency (RF) transistors and fast photodetectors.