High-speed light emitters integrated on silicon chips can enable novel architectures for silicon-based optoelectronics, such as on-chip optical interconnects, and silicon photonics. However, conventional light sources based on compound semiconductors face major challenges for their integration with a silicon-based platform because of their difficulty of direct growth on a silicon substrate. Here we report ultra-high-speed (100-ps response time), highly integrated graphene-based on-silicon-chip blackbody emitters in the near-infrared region including telecommunication wavelength. Their emission responses are strongly affected by the graphene contact with the substrate depending on the number of graphene layers. The ultra-high-speed emission can be understood by remote quantum thermal transport via surface polar phonons of the substrates. We demonstrated real-time optical communications, integrated two-dimensional array emitters, capped emitters operable in air, and the direct coupling of optical fibers to the emitters. These emitters can open new routes to on-Si-chip, small footprint, and high-speed emitters for highly integrated optoelectronics and silicon photonics.

The integration of high-speed light emitters on silicon chips is an important issue that must be resolved in order to realize on-chip or interchip optical interconnects. Here, we demonstrate the first electrically driven ultrafast carbon nanotube (CNT) light emitter based on blackbody radiation with a response speed (1-10 Gbps) that is more than 10(6) times higher than that of conventional incandescent emitters and is either higher than or comparable to that of light-emitting diodes or laser diodes. This high-speed response is explained by the extremely fast temperature response of the CNT film, which is dominated by the small heat capacity of the CNT film and its high heat dissipation to the substrate. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrate 140 ps width pulsed light generation and real-time optical communication. This CNT-based emitter with the advantages of ultrafast response speeds, a small footprint, and integration on silicon can enable novel architectures for optical interconnects, photonic, and optoelectronic integrated circuits.

This paper reports the first demonstration of current-induced magnetization switching using an ordinary insulator.