The world's first optical data link using graphene is being developed with the help of palladium electrodes, it has been confirmed.

IBM Research showed last year that graphene could be used to create photodetectors which can operate at speeds approaching 40Gbps.

However, it also maintained that this could be dramatically improved by making use of palladium in a field-effect transistor (FET) with graphene as the channel, EE Times reports.

As a result, the company fabricated an asymmetrical metal-graphene-metal FET which called on the precious white metal and titanium to serve as the novel interdigitated source and drain electrodes respectively.

This new 10Gbit-per-second receiver was created on a silicon-on-insulator substrate and achieved 6.1 milliamps per watt at the communications wavelength of 1.55 microns.

In addition, it was shown to be particularly effective over a wide bandwidth of 300 nanometres to six microns.

IBM Research now believes that the graphene optical link could be used for applications in the communications, remote sensing, environmental monitoring and surveillance sectors.

The aim of the company's research was to develop photonic circuitry which can be manufactured on conventional CMOS lines, rather than having to call on photodetectors requiring III-V semiconductors, such as gallium nitride, at certain wavelengths.

IBM Research has a number of well-known developments to its name, such as the Data Encryption Standard and the Fast Fourier Transform.

Source:

IBM demos graphene optical link (29/03/10)

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