Unique Properties of Graphene Lead to a New Paradigm for Low-Power Telecommunications

ScienceDaily ^ | July 15, 2012

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

New research by Columbia Engineering demonstrates remarkable optical nonlinear behavior of graphene that may lead to broad applications in optical interconnects and low-power photonic integrated circuits. With the placement of a sheet of graphene just one-carbon-atom-thick, the researchers transformed the originally passive device into an active one that generated microwave photonic signals and performed parametric wavelength conversion at telecommunication wavelengths.

"We have been able to demonstrate and explain the strong nonlinear response from graphene, which is the key component in this new hybrid device," says Tingyi Gu, the study's lead author and a Ph.D. candidate in electrical engineering. "Showing the power-efficiency of this graphene-silicon hybrid photonic chip is an important step forward in building all-optical processing elements that are essential to faster, more efficient, modern telecommunications. And it was really exciting to explore the 'magic' of graphene's amazingly conductive properties and see how graphene can boost optical nonlinearity, a property required for the digital on/off two-state switching and memory."

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

More on Graphene....

H/T to Fudzilla:

Boffins create hybrid graphene-silicon

[Revolting cat!]

I don't know what Graphene has to do with low power telecommunications!

[ShadowAce]

[ShadowAce]

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Related thread:

IBM Builds World First Graphene Integrated Circuit

And"

High-frequency self-aligned graphene transistors with transferred gate stacks ( 400+ GHz )

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Related story:

Graphene-Based Optical Modulators Poised to Break Speed Limits in Digital Communications

[Texas Fossil]

Using different optical frequencies to tune the radio frequency, they found that the graphene-silicon hybrid chip achieved radio frequency generation with a resonant quality factor more than 50 times lower than what other scientists have achieved in silicon.

Low Q resonance.

[Marine_Uncle]

Looks like eventually we shall witness whole new generations of hybrid IC for use in fiber optic communications. As well as a wide variety of electronic circuitry.

[Marine_Uncle]

Think I’m going to take a nap. I can’t keep my eyes open.

[cuban leaf]

The mind boggles at the potential.

[null and void]

Find and clear your misunderstood words...

[Egon]

The mind boggles at the potential.

Mine just simply boggles.

[Marine_Uncle]

Perhaps I was a bit vague. Sorry. Not much sleep has passed my way of lately.
Hybrid IC
An Integrated Circuit that is composed of more then one type technology. Where for instance. Integrating the Graphene portions of circuit devices onto say a MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) die (chip). Where the Graphene circuitry would act as extremely fast I/O (Input and Output) sections of the circuit. And the MOS portions in between might be a specialty CPU, (Central Processor Unit), perhaps a DSP (digital signal processor) communication circuitry, etc..
The goal. the I/O operate at extremely high frequencies, say in photonic applications that talk to the bulk of the system's logic in the form of slower MOS silicon based traditional type circuitry. In some cases there may be a enormous amount of processing required, so the idea is to allow for information coming into the chip to run at speeds far exceeding the clock rates applicable for the MOS portions, let the processor, whatever, do it's processing, then ship the information (data) to the output stage where it can again at higher speeds transfer the information say into a fiber optic cable or perhaps into some specialty device say a amplifier that feeds say a radar antennae, or some specialty electronics within say a medical instrument.
Hope that helps a little.

[null and void]

I know, I was asking you to clear your misunderstood words, old scientology training kicked in...