(April 14, 2015) Scientists
affiliated with Europe’s Graphene Flagship develop a photodetector that
converts incident light into electrical signals on femtosecond timescales,
enabling ultrafast operation speeds for electronic circuits in optical
communications and various other applications.
The conversion of light into electricity underpins a range
of technologies that includes solar cells, digital cameras and optical-fibre
communications, and in most cases operation speed is critical. For example,
lasers currently used in optical communications, medical imaging and surgery
can generate light pulses a picosecond (10-12 s) and less in length.