Terahertz technologies

Bi-dimensional materials for THz frequency nanodevices

NEST, CNR-Istituto Nanoscienze and Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa 56127, Italy

^* e-mail: miriam.vitiello@nano.cnr.it

Abstract

Although artificial semiconductor heterostructures have long been the core material system for the generation, detection and manipulation of carriers, at TeraHertz (THz) frequencies, the discovery of graphene and the related intriguing abilities have triggered an unprecedented interest in inorganic two-dimensional (2D) materials, as black phosphorus and boron nitride, amongst many others. They offer a unique platform for developing efficient devices, without the need of lattice matching, and with a variety of physical properties, that can be engineered from scratch, exploiting the material structures, the layer thickness or their inherent anisotropy.