Terahertz generation from reduced graphene oxide

Abstract

We firstly investigate the generation of terahertz (THz) wave from reduced graphene oxide (RGO) illuminated with femtosecond near-infrared laser pulse. Experiment results show that the THz generation from RGO can be enhanced by increasing the reduction degree and reducing the film thickness. The former can be attributed to the increase of sp2 carbon region, which has much smaller band gap and graphene-like photoelectric properties. The latter is due to the suppression of the light-induced lateral currents in the surface of RGO layers. The linear dependency of the THz electrical field on the pump power confirms that the THz emission from RGO is governed by second-order nonlinear properties. When exciting laser irradiates from opposite sample sides, π phase shift of the generated THz wave has been observed, suggesting the transient photocurrent related to THz emission is induced by the photon drag effect. The conclusion has been further confirmed by the well fitting of the experiment and theoretical calculation based on the symmetry of RGO. This work makes it clear the THz generation mechanism of RGO and paves a way for developing new THz sources.