Graphene enables high-speed electronics on flexible materials

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.

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 ofhigh 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.