Graphene electronics for RF applications

Abstract

The recent progress in using graphene for applications in RF and mixed-signal circuits, one of the most promising fields for future graphene electronics, is reviewed. Graphene transistors show high current density and excellent electrostatic confinement, which may increase the conversion efficiency, reduce noise level, and improve the operating frequency of future amplifiers. Kim and Shepard's groups at Columbia University, Jarillo-Herrero's group at MIT, and LeRoy's group at the University of Arizona have pioneered the use of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrates, a wide bandgap material with an atomic structure almost identical to graphene. A graphene frequency multiplier relies on the ambipolar transport and highly symmetric transfer characteristics of graphene devices to achieve excellent spectral purity for frequency doubling.