Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has drawn immense interest among researchers worldwide since its development in 2015. The laser writing strategy used to synthesize LIG is particularly advantageous, as it enables the direct patterning of graphene with micron-sized features. There have been many attempts to reduce the feature size of LIG in recent years, however, the studies have shown wide variations in the methods and findings. As such, this work presents a rigorous study on the irradiation of polyimide via an ultraviolet (355-nm) laser to realize micron-scale, high-quality LIG. Our work shows that there is often a tradeoff between micron-scale features and high-quality material, as the tightly focused beams that are demanded for small features are predisposed to ablation of the material. This work investigates such LIG synthesis by correlating the characteristics of the material, via scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, to the optical fluence incident on the polyimide substrate, providing a measure of applied optical energy per unit area. The findings reveal that—given suitable attention to the optical fluence—high-quality LIG with Raman 2D-to-G peak height ratios approaching 0.7 can be synthesized with feature sizes down to 18 ± 2 μm. Furthermore, optical fluences between 40 to 50 J/cm2 produced the optimal LIG characteristics, as such optical fluences promote graphenization while minimizing ablation. The authors hope the findings of this study provide a foundation for the use of LIG in future integrated technologies.
In this work, we introduce the concept of a hemispherical retro-modulator for the realization of passive free-space optical communication links. The hemispherical retro-modulator is implemented with a high-refractive-index glass (S-LAH79) hemisphere on a semi-insulating-InP (SI-InP) layer, whose thickness dictates the effectiveness of both retroreflection and modulation. A voltage is applied across transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) and gold (Au) films on either side of the SIInP layer to bring about the desired modulation. The overall device is designed to enable low divergence on the retroreflected beam, as defined by a small divergence angle, and deep modulation on the retroreflected beam, as a result of electroabsorption in the SI-InP layer. To this end, the device is analysed with a ray-based model for retroflection and a unified Franz-Keldysh/Einstein model for modulation in the SI-InP layer. The theoretical results show strong agreement with the experimental results from our prototype. Moreover, the results show effective retroflection and deep modulation—with an applied electric field of 2.167 kV/cm yielding modulation depths of 13%, 34%, and 50% for our 980-nm photons and SI-InP layer thicknesses of 200, 600, and 1,000 μm, respectively. From this, we deem the SI-InP layer thickness of 600 μm to be optimal given its combined capabilities for retroflection and modulation. Ultimately, the introduced hemispherical retro-modulator is shown to be an effective element for future realizations of passive freespace optical communication links.
In this work, we explore the band edge absorption characteristics of semiconductors as applied to optoelectronic modulation—with careful consideration to the departures from ideality in the semiconductors. To this end, we develop a rigorous model of electroabsorption in semiconductors that characterizes the electric-field-induced constriction/narrowing of the bandgap and the resulting increase in absorption of photons, whose energies are slightly below the bandgap energy. The model unifies the Franz-Keldysh effect, characterizing the electric-field-induced tunneling of photoexcited electrons from valence band states to conduction band states, and the Einstein model, quantifying the encroachment of valence and conduction band states into the bandgap. Careful consideration is given here to the nonidealities in the semiconductor, which arise within the valence band as degenerate states, due to light and heavy holes, and within the bandgap, as encroaching Urbach tail states. We apply the model in characterizing optoelectronic modulation of 980-nm photons with semi-insulating indium phosphide (SI-InP), and we see strong agreement between our theoretical and experimental results over a wide range of electric fields and photon energies. Ultimately, the findings show that optoelectronic modulation can be had with large modulation depths over short propagation lengths through the semiconductor. This opens the door to highly effective implementations of optoelectronic modulators in emerging free-space optical communication systems—given that such modulators do not allow for prolonged (guided-wave) propagation and have thus exhibited small modulation depths.
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