Graphite-related materials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons have been extensively studied in recent years due to their exceptional electronic, opto-electronic, and mechanical properties. To explore the physics of carbon-based devices and to find methods to improve their functionality and performance, we present a comprehensive numerical study employing the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism, in conjunction with a tight-binding model for the band-structure. The electronic and optoelectronic properties of carbon-based devices is studied. The effect of electron-phonon interactions on the static and dynamic response of such field-effect transistors is discussed and simulation results are compared with experimental data. The results indicate that the inclusion of scattering mechanisms is essential to understand the behavior of such devices. Due to the direct and relatively narrow bandgap of carbon-based devices, they have been considered as a candidate for future infra-red photodetectors. In this work, we analyze the efficiency of such devices.