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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
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Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
Published on: July 8, 2013
15.3K
Electrically driven heterostructured far-infrared wire lasers with integrated graphene plasmons.
Alessandra Di Gaspare1, Sara Ghayeb-Zamharir1, Lianhe Li2
1NEST, CNR-NANO and Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy.
Nature Nanotechnology
|October 31, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed tunable terahertz light sources using graphene plasmonics. This electrically driven laser technology enables compact, inexpensive photonic devices for new applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Graphene technology
- Terahertz (THz) science
Background:
- Graphene's unique properties, including field localization and optical nonlinearities, enable advanced photonic devices.
- Electrostatic gating allows for tunable control of graphene's electronic and optical characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer frequency up-converted, electrically driven, single-mode photonic sources in the 9.0-10.5 THz range.
- To demonstrate tunable emission frequencies for compact and inexpensive active photonic devices.
Main Methods:
- Excitation of plasmons confined in a multilayer graphene micro-ribbon grating.
- Integration within a distributed-feedback terahertz quantum cascade laser.
- Utilizing a supercapacitor to tune graphene Fermi energy for third harmonic generation.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a monolithic, electrically driven laser operating in the 9.0-10.5 THz range.
- Achieved frequency up-conversion via third harmonic generation.
- Laser operates within the Reststrahlen band of the III-V semiconductor heterostructure, with a peak power of ~9 μW.
Conclusions:
- Established a new generation of plasmonic, nonlinear light-emitting sources.
- Paved the way for compact, tunable, and cost-effective terahertz photonic devices.
- Highlights the potential of graphene plasmonics in advanced optical applications.
