Voltage-tunable terahertz and infrared photodetectors based on double-graphene-layer structures

Abstract

We propose and theoretically substantiate the concept of terahertz and infrared photodetectors using the resonant radiative transitions between graphene layers (GLs) in double-GL structures. The calculated absorption spectrum and the spectral characteristics of the photodetector responsivity exhibit sharp resonant maxima at the photon energies in a wide range. The resonant maxima can be tuned by the applied voltage. We compare the photodetector responsivity with that of the GL p-i-n photodiodes and quantum-well infrared photodetectors. Weak temperature dependences of the photocurrent and dark current enable the effective operation of the proposed photodetector at room temperature.