Graphene permite circuite electronice de mare viteză pe materiale flexibile(Graphene enables high-speed electronics on flexible materials)

Detectorul are caracteristici unice. La temperatura camerei, detectează semnale în intervalul de frecvență de la 330 la 500 gigahertzi. Este translucid și flexibil și se deschide la o varietate de aplicații. Tehnica poate fi utilizată pentru imagistică în zona terahertz (camera THz), dar și pentru identificarea diferitelor substanțe (senzor). De asemenea, poate avea un beneficiu potențial în îngrijirea sănătății, unde undele terahertz pot fi folosite pentru detectarea cancerului. Alte domenii în care detectorul poate fi utilizat sunt senzori de imagine pentru vehicule sau pentru comunicații fără fir.
Caracteristicile electronice unice ale grafenului, combinate cu natura sa flexibilă, fac din el un material promițător de integrare în plastic și țesătură, ceea ce va constitui un bloc de construcție important într-o lume viitoare interconectată. Tehnologia Graphene permite aplicații noi, printre altele, obiecte de zi cu zi, care sunt denumite în mod obișnuit Internetul Lucrurilor.
Detectorul arată posibilitățile concrete ale grafenului, un material care conduce extrem de bine curentul electric. Este o caracteristică care face ca grafenul să devină un bloc de atracție în domeniul electronicii rapide. Activitatea cercetătorilor de la Chalmers este, prin urmare, un important pas înainte pentru grafen în zona terahertz și un progres pentru performanțe ridicate și tehnologie ieftină terahertz

Posted: Oct 31, 2017

Graphene enables high-speed electronics on flexible materials

(Nanowerk News) A flexible detector for terahertz frequencies (1000 gigahertz) has been developed by Chalmers researchers using graphene transistors on plastic substrates. It is the first of its kind, and can extend the use of terahertz technology to applications that will require flexible electronics, such as wireless sensor networks and wearable technology. The results are published in the scientific journal Applied Physics Letters („A flexible graphene terahertz detector”).
flexible graphene terahertz detector
With the help of the two-dimensional material graphene, the first flexible terahertz detector has been developed by researchers at Chalmers. The opportunities are great within health and Internet of Things, and for new types of sensors. (Image: Boid – Product Design Studio, Gothenburg)
Terahertz radiation has a wide range of uses and can occur in everything from radio astronomy to medicine. The term refers to the electromagnetic waves whose frequencies range from 100 gigahertz to 10 terahertz. Demand for higher bandwidth in wireless communications and depiction for security applications has led to intensified research on systems and components intended for terahertz frequencies.
One challenge has long been to enable low weight and cheap applications. However, advances in polymer technology have promoted the development of flexible electronics and enabled the production of high frequency units on flexible substrates.
Now, Chalmers researchers Xinxin Yang, Andrei Vorobiev, Andrey Generalov, Michael A. Andersson and Jan Stake have developed the first mechanically flexible and graphene-based terahertz detector in its kind. Thus, paving the way for flexible terahertz electronics.
The detector has unique features. At room temperature, it detects signals in the frequency range 330 to 500 gigahertz. It is translucent and flexible, and opens to a variety of applications. The technique can be used for imaging in the terahertz area (THz camera), but also for identifying different substances (sensor). It may also be of potential benefit in health care, where terahertz waves can be used to detect cancer. Other areas where the detector could be used are imaging sensors for vehicles or for wireless communications.
The unique electronic features of graphene, combined with its flexible nature, make it a promising material to integrate into plastic and fabric, something that will be important building blocks in a future interconnected world. Graphene electronics enables new applications for, among other things, everyday objects, which are commonly referred to as the Internet of Things.
The detector shows the concrete possibilities of graphene, a material that conduct electric current extremely well. It is a feature that makes graphene an attractive building block in fast electronics. The Chalmers researchers’ work is therefore an important step forward for graphene in the terahertz area, and a breakthrough for high performance and cheap flexible terahertz technology.
The detector drew attention at the EU Tallinn Digital Summit recently, where several important technological innovations made possible by graphene and related materials were on display. At the summit, EU Heads of State and Government gathered to discuss digital innovation and Europe’s digital future. The flagship focus was to show what role graphene can play.
The research is also part of Xinxin Yang’s licentiate seminar, which will be presented at Chalmers on 22 November 2017.
Source: Chalmers University of Technology