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Ultra-compact Spatial Terahertz Switch Based on Graphene Plasmonic-Coupled Waveguide

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Abstract

We are proposing graphene (G)-based multilayered plasmonic spatial switch, operating at 10 THz. It is composed of hBN/Ag/hBN/G/hBN/G/hBN/SiO2/p+-Si multilayers. When a 10-THz transverse magnetic (TM)-polarized signal is normally incident upon the structure top surface, the nanoaperture devised in the Ag nanolayer, acting as a grating, excites surface plasmons at the top graphene micro-ribbons/hBN interface. These surface plasmons depending on the graphenes chemical potentials can be coupled to the lower-right or left graphene micro-ribbons and continue to propagate laterally towards the corresponding output port. Numerical simulations show that a change of ∆VG ≈ ± 2.7 V in the voltage, applied to the gated micro-ribbons, can modulate their chemical potentials sufficiently to switch the right (left) output port from ON (OFF) to OFF(ON) and vice versa. Besides its low power consumption, the switch ultra-small dimensions make it a potential spatial router suitable for THz-integrated circuit applications.

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Funding

M. K. Moravvej-Farshi and M. Ghaffari-Miab greatly acknowledge the support from the Tarbiat Modares University through grant #IG-39703.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, 1477893855, Iran

    Mehdi Dehghan & Ghafar Darvish

  2. Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Nano Plasmo-Photonic Research group, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 1411713116, Iran

    Mohammad Kazem Moravvej-Farshi & Mohsen Ghaffari-Miab

  3. Department of Electrical Engineering, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran

    Masoud Jabbari

Authors
  1. Mehdi Dehghan
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  2. Mohammad Kazem Moravvej-Farshi
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  5. Ghafar Darvish
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Correspondence to Mohammad Kazem Moravvej-Farshi.

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Dehghan, M., Moravvej-Farshi, M.K., Ghaffari-Miab, M. et al. Ultra-compact Spatial Terahertz Switch Based on Graphene Plasmonic-Coupled Waveguide. Plasmonics 14, 1335–1345 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-019-00921-0

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