Nano carbon-based devices for terahertz applications
The EM spectrum is the range of all frequencies. These include wavelengths of light, radiowave, microwave, infra-red, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays with visible light accounting for a very small part in between. Technology that exploits the terahertz (THz) region (corresponding to frequencies between those of infrared and microwave) is gaining a tremendous amount of attention. This will revolutionise sectors ranging from information technology to communications to security. Nanostructures with dimensions on the scale of atoms and molecules are at the heart of many concepts. The intrinsic non-homogeneity of their EM fields contributes to unique electrical and magnetic properties. The EU-funded project 'Terahertz applications of carbon-based nanostructures' (TERACAN) investigated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene to develop a physical basis for novel THz nanodevices. Graphene is a sheet of carbon of one-atom thickness. Work focused on investigating the linear EM responses of CNT-based composites in the THz range, characterising CNT-based emitters and detectors, and THz applications of graphene. Scientists combined experimentation and theoretical modelling to elaborate many theoretical descriptions of related phenomena. This gave rise to possible experimental protocols that could enable the observation of predicted results. Experimental and modelling outcomes were used to justify numerous proposals for CNT-based active THz nanodevices. TERACAN work facilitated the initiation of a novel research discipline, nanoelectromagnetics, and an associated scientific language for describing related phenomena. Assimilating a critical mass of researchers and institutes should ensure rapid headway in a burgeoning new area of expertise with important commercial applications.
