Scalable High Performance 1D Metal-Insulator-Graphene Diodes for High Frequency Applications Based on 2D Materials from Chemical Vapor Deposition
Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
Final Report Abstract
Modern applications in telecommunications and the use of ambient energy require high performance electronics operating at particularly high frequencies. A core component here is the diode, which is often used as a rectifier or detector. Conventional diodes suffer from a trade-off between high frequencies and good rectification. Metal-insulator-metal diodes, for example, can operate up to the frequencies of 5G technology, but only with unsatisfactory quality. The single-atom 2D material graphene is suited to bridge this gap because of its electrical and physical properties. By replacing one of the contacts of a metal-insulator-metal diode with graphene, the diode can make use of an enhanced rectification effect, which can be explained solely by the electronic properties of graphene. A fundamental innovation pursued in the HiPeDi project is a new device geometry that improves the high-frequency characteristics. By forming the contact between the graphene and the insulator only at a one-dimensional edge of the graphene rather than over a large area as is traditionally done, the parasitic capacitance of the device can be further reduced, resulting in a higher operating frequency. Furthermore, available contact metals and encapsulation materials were investigated for their contribution to a faster and better diode. A rectenna was fabricated as a demonstration of a high frequency application of the 1D MIG diode. It was shown that this device can rectify radiation between 110 and 170 GHz and thus can supply power to a load. The detector is further characterized by extremely low noise and high responsivity compared to similar detectors. This opens the way to harnessing residual infrared radiation in the environment emanating from natural or man-made sources. This technology can make an important contribution to the energy transition by harnessing energy sources that cannot be exploited with conventional technology.
Publications
- Flexible One-Dimensional Metal–Insulator–Graphene Diode. ACS Applied Electronic Materials, 1, 945, 2019
Z. Wang et al.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.9b00122) - Compact V-Band MMIC Square-law Power Detector with 70 dB Dynamic Range exploiting State-of-the-art Graphene diodes. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), 2021, pp. 888-891
M. Saeed et al.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1109/IMS19712.2021.9574843) - Graphene in 2D/3D Heterostructure Diodes for High Performance Electronics and Optoelectronics. Advanced Electronic Materials, 7, 2001210, 2021
Z. Wang et al.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202001210) - Low-cost Compact Analogue Phase-Shifter based on CVD Graphene-diode for Smart Surfaces Applications. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), 2021, pp. 595-598
M. Saeed, et al.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1109/IMS19712.2021.9574812) - Terahertz Rectennas on Flexible Substrates Based on One- Dimensional Metal–Insulator–Graphene Diodes. ACS Applied Electronic Materials, 3, 3747, 2021
A. Hemmetter et al.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.1c00134) - Voltage-Tunable Thin Film Graphene-Diode-Based Microwave Harmonic Generator. IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, 31, 733, 2021
M. Saeed et al.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1109/LMWC.2021.3061573) - Graphene-Based Microwave Circuits: A Review. Advanced Materials, 2108473, 2022
M. Saeed et al.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202108473)
