Graphene-based materials in the infrared and terahertz detector families: a tutorial

The extraordinary electronic and two-dimensional materials make them promising candidates to replace traditional photodetectors in infrared and terahertz spectral ranges. This paper reviews the latest achievements in graphene detectors in competition with traditional commercially dominated ones in different applications. It is shown that the performance of graphene-based infrared and terahertz detectors is lower in comparison with those detectors existing on the global market. The high sensitivity of hybrid photodetectors does not coincide with a fast response time, which limits real detector functions. The most effective single graphene detectors operated at room temperature are terahertz detectors, which utilize plasma rectification phenomena in field effect transistors. The challenges facing the development of focal-plane arrays in the future are also considered. Special attention is directed toward the main trends in the development of arrays in the near future—an increase in the pixel count to above 108 pixels, with pixel size decreasing to about 5 μm for both cooled and uncooled long-wavelength infrared arrays. To date, these questions have not been considered in literature devoted to graphene-based infrared and terahertz detectors.