Researchers are developing petahertz-speed phototransistors in ambient conditions

Researchers at the University of Arizona, California Institute of Technology and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich have reported the generation of light-induced quantum tunnelling currents in graphene phototransistors by ultrafast laser pulses in an ambient environment. The team demonstrated a way to manipulate electrons in graphene using pulses of light that last less than a trillionth of a second. By leveraging a quantum effect known as tunneling, they recorded electrons bypassing a physical barrier almost instantaneously.

This technique could potentially lead to computer processing speeds in the petahertz range – over 1,000 times faster than modern computer chips.

The optical microscope (and zoom in) images of the graphene-silicon (Si)-graphene phototransistor and illustration of its band structure, the black dashed line presents the Fermi level. Image credit: Nature CommunicationsThis technique could potentially lead to computer processing speeds in the petahertz range – over 1,000 times faster than modern computer chips.

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