Graphene photodector integrated into standard silicon chip

Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology have combined a graphene photodetector with a standard silicon chip, enabling light of all important frequencies used in telecommunications to be converted into electrical signals.

Dr Thomas Müller, from the University's Institute of Photonics, said: "There are many materials that can transform light into electrical signals, but graphene allows for a particularly fast conversion," adding that when large amounts of data are to be transmitted in a short period of time, graphene will likely be the material of choice.



According to Dr Müller, a waveguide measuring about 200 x 500nm carries the optical signal to the graphene layer, where the light is converted into an electrical signal which can then be processed in the chip. Up to 20,000 detectors could fit into a chip with an area of 1cm2, theoretically allowing the chip to handle 20,000 information channels.



"These technologies are not only important for transmitting data over large distances," said Dr Müller, "but optical data transmission also becomes more and more important for communication within computers.



According to Dr Müller, a waveguide measuring about 200 x 500nm carries the optical signal to the graphene layer, where the light is converted into an electrical signal which can then be processed in the chip. Up to 20,000 detectors could fit into a chip with an area of 1cm2, theoretically allowing the chip to handle 20,000 information channels.



"These technologies are not only important for transmitting data over large distances," he said, "but optical data transmission also becomes more and more important for communication within computers."

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