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Thermally tunable electromagnetic surface waves supported by graphene loaded indium antimonide (InSb) interface
M Z Yaqoob1, Munir Ahamd1, A Ghaffar2
1Department of Physics, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan.
Scientific Reports
|October 31, 2023
Summary
By combining graphene with indium antimonide (InSb), researchers enhanced temperature sensitivity for electromagnetic surface waves. This graphene-InSb interface offers greater tunability for thermo-optical devices.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Optoelectronics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Thermal agitation significantly influences temperature-sensitive materials, impacting their optoelectronic and chemical properties.
- Graphene offers unique control in terahertz (THz) optics but shows negligible temperature sensitivity due to low charge carrier density.
- Enhancing graphene's thermal sensitivity is crucial for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To theoretically analyze the temperature-dependent propagation characteristics of electromagnetic surface waves.
- To investigate the tunability of these waves at a graphene-loaded indium antimonide (InSb) interface.
- To explore potential applications in thermo-optical devices.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Drude model for InSb and Kubo's formulism for graphene in the THz region.
- Employed impedance boundary conditions (IBCs) to model the graphene-InSb interface.
- Conducted numerical analysis of surface wave properties (dispersion, effective mode index, penetration depth, propagation length, phase speed, field profile) across a temperature range of 200-350 K.
Main Results:
- The graphene-InSb interface demonstrated significantly enhanced temperature-assisted tunability of interfacial surface waves compared to monolayer graphene.
- Temperature variations critically affect the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic surface waves.
- Graphene parameters were shown to dynamically tune electromagnetic surface waves across THz to Infrared frequencies.
Conclusions:
- The proposed graphene-InSb interface offers superior thermal tunability for surface waves.
- This enhanced tunability holds promise for developing advanced thermo-optical waveguides, communication devices, sensors, and near-field thermal imaging platforms.
- The study highlights the potential of hybrid material interfaces for temperature-sensitive optoelectronic applications.
