Tunable terahertz metasurface platform based on CVD graphene plasmonics

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Graphene plasmonics offers tunable terahertz (THz) capabilities for metasurfaces.
• Existing methods often lack scalability or electrical tunability for complex THz applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive design platform for reconfigurable THz metasurfaces.
• To enable complex wavefront manipulation using graphene plasmonic resonators and metallic antennas.
• To demonstrate practical performance metrics for tunable beam steering and focusing.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing ribbon-shaped graphene plasmonic resonators integrated with metallic antennas on a vertical cavity.
• Leveraging chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown graphene for mm-scale device fabrication.
• Implementing electrical reconfiguration for dynamic control of metasurface functionalities.

Main Results:

• A single device structure capable of multiple wavefront manipulation functionalities was demonstrated.
• Tunable beam steering and focusing with variable numerical aperture were achieved.
• The platform is compatible with scalable CVD graphene, overcoming limitations of exfoliated samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed platform provides a versatile solution for advanced THz metasurface applications.
• Electrical tunability and complex wavefront control are key advantages for future THz technologies.
• This work holds significant promise for advancements in THz sensing, imaging, and wireless communications.