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access icon openaccess Terahertz band communication using plasma wave propagation in multilayer graphene heterostructures

This is an open access article published by the IET under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)
Received 10/06/2017, Accepted 17/10/2017, Published 04/12/2017

Graphene-based heterostructures provide a viable platform to implement optoelectronic devices that can operate in the terahertz (THz) band. In this study, the authors focus on multilayer (ML) graphene as the building block to implement high-frequency and low-energy plasmonic interconnects for on-chip signalling in next-generation systems. Two specific plasmonic interconnect geometries are analysed: single waveguide (SWG) and parallel-plate waveguide (PPWG). While SWG interconnects support propagating surface plasmons that are polarised in the transverse magnetic direction, in PPWG interconnects, nearly dispersion-less quasi-transverse electromagnetic modes are supported. The dispersion characteristics are derived by solving Maxwell's equations in the device setup in which ML graphene presents an impedance boundary condition. The effects of number of layers, electrostatic screening, and Fermi level are included in the model of intra-band dynamical surface conductivity of ML graphene. The authors also develop analytical models of energy-per-bit and bandwidth density for both SWG and PPWG interconnects. The energy dissipation includes the effect of plasmon generation, detection, and modulation circuitry within a thermal- and shot-noise-limited transmission of information. They quantify optimal interconnect length scales for which plasmonic interconnects provide lower energy and higher bandwidth when compared against their electrical (copper/low-κ) counterparts at the 2020 ITRS technology node.

Inspec keywords: parallel plate waveguides; multilayers; Fermi level; integrated circuit interconnections; Maxwell equations; surface plasmons; plasmonics; graphene

Other keywords: impedance boundary condition; single waveguide; 2020 ITRS technology node; low-energy plasmonic interconnection geometry analysis; surface plasmon propagation; dispersion-less quasitransverse electromagnetic mode; SWG; next-generation system; on-chip signalling; intraband dynamical surface conductivity model; parallel-plate waveguide; Fermi level; optoelectronic device; C; ML graphene; transverse magnetic direction; terahertz band communication; plasmon generation effect; multilayer graphene heterostructure; Maxwell's equation; electrostatic screening; PPWG; plasma wave propagation

Subjects: Waveguides and microwave transmission lines; Fullerene, nanotube and related devices; Metallisation and interconnection technology

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