Opto-mechanical terahertz modulators based on single-wall carbon nanotube thin films
Maksim I. Paukov 1, Vladimir V. Starchenko 1, Dmitry V. Krasnikov 2, Gennady A. Komandin 3, Yuriy G. Gladush 2, Sergey S. Zhukov 1, Boris P. Gorshunov 1, Albert G. Nasibulin 2, Aleksey V. Arsenin 1,4, Valentyn S. Volkov 1, and Maria G. Burdanova 1,3,5;
1 Center for Photonics and 2D Materials, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia; 2Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia; 3Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; 4Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia; 5Institute of Solid State Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Russia
Abstract
Tunable and rapid modulation is crucial for many terahertz applications such as THz communications, microscopy, etc. In this report, we showed that thin films of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) exhibit exceptionally fast carrier recombination lifetimes along with a substantial change in signal revealed by optical pump-terahertz probe spectroscopy(OPTP). These key parameters make them promising candidates for high-speed modulation. In this study, the combination of SWCNT thin films deposited on stretchable substrates enabled the exploration of SWCNT mechanical properties under strain resulting in development of a novel optomechanical modulator. By applying specific strains to the SWCNT films, we could finely adjust the effective sheet conductance and modulation depth to optimize the modulator's performance. These modulators demonstrated a remarkable photoconductivity change, approximately doubling in magnitude under deformation due to the change in SWCNT network. Stretching allowed precise control of the terahertz signal, achieving modulation depths of approximately 100% without strain and 65% under high-strain conditions of 40%. Additionally, our findings highlight the modulators' sensitivity to beam polarization, offering potential applications in the design of stretchable polarizers. These results provide a fundamental basis for the development of high-sensitivity stretchable devices based on SWCNT films.
Speaker
Vladimir Starchenko
MIPT
Russia
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