Computational Electromagnetics for Graphene-Based Devices
Summary
Graphene’s atomically thin, two-dimensional lattice confers remarkable electromagnetic properties, including high carrier mobility and tunable surface conductivity, which are exploited in antennas, sensors, modulators and plasmonic waveguides across microwave to optical frequencies. Computational electromagnetics (CEM) underpins the design and analysis of such devices by solving Maxwell’s equations with tailored numerical techniques. Surface models incorporating the Kubo formula for graphene conductivity are coupled with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD), finite-element (FEM) and method-of-moments (MoM) solvers to account for dispersion, non-local effects and quantum corrections. Advanced contour-path and sub-gridding schemes permit fine resolution of nanometre-scale features without prohibitive resource demands. Integral-equation approaches using dyadic Green’s functions and boundary-element methods enable accurate characterisation of plasmons and edge modes. Multi-scale frameworks link atomistic models to continuum solvers, facilitating realistic device layouts. Such computational advances are crucial for the global development of high-speed communications, terahertz imaging and biosensing applications.
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Computational Electromagnetics for Graphene-Based Devices publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in computational electromagnetics for graphene-based devices across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Kubo formula: Analytical expression for graphene’s surface conductivity as a function of frequency, temperature and chemical potential.
Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD): Grid-based method for time-domain solution of Maxwell’s equations, accommodating dispersive materials via auxiliary differential equations.
Method of moments (MoM): Surface-integral technique that reduces boundary value problems to matrix equations by expanding currents in basis functions.
Dyadic Green’s function: Tensor kernel describing the field response at one point due to a point source at another, used in integral-equation solvers.
Plasmon: Collective oscillation of free carriers at a material interface, leading to strongly confined electromagnetic modes.
References
- Padé approximant spectral fit for FDTD simulation of graphene in the near infrared. Optical Materials Express (2012).
- Sub-Gridding FDTD Algorithm for 3D Numerical Analysis of EM Scattering and Radiation Problems. Electromagnetic Science (2023).
- Dispersive contour-path algorithm for the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method.. Optics Express (2008).
- Numerical Methods for Electromagnetic Modeling of Graphene: A Review. IEEE Journal on Multiscale and Multiphysics Computational Techniques (2020).
- A Review of Computational Electromagnetic Methods for Graphene Modeling. International Journal of Antennas and Propagation (2016).
- Non-reciprocal magnetoplasmon graphene coupler.. Optics Express (2013).
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