Researchers show that graphene -- atom-thick sheets of carbon -- could be used in photodetectors, devices that translate optical signals to electrical.
In a new graphene-on-silicon photodetector, electrodes (gold) are deposited, slightly asymmetrically, on either side of a silicon waveguide (purple). The asymmetry causes electrons kicked free by incoming light to escape the layer of graphene (hexagons) as an electrical current. Graphic courtesy of the researchers