Nanofocusing of mid-infrared electromagnetic waves on graphene monolayer

Abstract

Nanofocusing of mid-infrared (MIR) electromagnetic waves on graphene monolayer with gradient chemical potential is investigated with numerical simulation. On an isolated freestanding monolayer graphene sheet with spatially varied chemical potential, the focusing spot sizes of frequencies between 44 THz and 56 THz can reach around 1.6 nm and the intensity enhancement factors are between 2178 and 654. For 56 THz infrared, a group velocity as slow as 5×10−5 times of the light speed in vacuum is obtained at the focusing point. When the graphene sheet is placed on top of an aluminum oxide substrate, the focusing spot size of 56 THz infrared reduces to 1.1 nm and the intensity enhancement factor is still as high as 220. This structure offers an approach for focusing light in the MIR regime beyond the diffraction limit without complicated device geometry engineering.