Temporal Dynamics of Frequency-tunable Graphene-based Plasmonic Grating Structures for Ultra-broadband Terahertz Communication

Terahertz (THz) communication is envisioned as a key wireless technology to satisfy the need for 1000x faster wireless data rates. To date, major progress on both electronic and photonic technologies are finally closing the so-called THz gap. Among others, graphene-based plasmonic nano-devices have been proposed as a way to enable ultra-broadband communications above 1THz. The unique dynamic complex conductivity of graphene enables the propagation of Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) waves at THz frequencies. In addition, the conductivity of graphene and, thus, the SPP propagation properties, can be dynamically tuned by means of electrostatic biasing or material doping. This result opens the door to frequency-tunable devices for THz communications. In this paper, the temporal dynamics of graphene-enhanced metallic grating structures used for excitation and detection of SPP waves at THz frequencies are analytically and numerically modeled. More specifically, the response of a metallic grating structure built on top of a graphene-based heterostructure is analyzed by taking into account the grating period and duty cycle and the Fermi energy of the graphene layer. Then, the interfacial charge transfer between a metallic back-gate and the graphene layer in a metal/dielectric/graphene stack is analytically modeled, and the range of achievable Fermi energies is determined. Finally, the rate at which the Fermi energy in graphene can be tuned is estimated starting from the transmission line model of graphene. Extensive numerical and simulation results with COMSOL Multi-physics are provided. The results show that the proposed structure enables dynamic frequency systems with THz bandwidths, thus, enabling resilient communication techniques such as time-hopping THz modulations.