Ultra-long wavelength Dirac plasmons in graphene capacitors

Abstract

Graphene is a valuable 2D platform for plasmonics as illustrated in recent THz and mid-infrared optics experiments. These high-energy plasmons however, couple to the dielectric surface modes giving rise to hybrid plasmon-polariton excitations. Ultra-long wavelengths address the low energy end of the plasmon spectrum, in the GHz–THz electronic domain, where intrinsic graphene Dirac plasmons are essentially decoupled from their environment. However experiments are elusive due to the damping by ohmic losses at low frequencies. We demonstrate here a plasma resonance capacitor (PRC) using hexagonal boron-nitride (hBN) encapsulated graphene at cryogenic temperatures in the near-ballistic regime. We report on a 100 μm quarter-wave plasmon mode, at 40 GHz, with a quality factor Q ≃ 2. The accuracy of the resonant technique yields a precise determination of the electronic compressibility and kinetic inductance, allowing to assess residual deviations from intrinsic Dirac plasmonics. Our GHz frequency capacitor experiment constitutes a first step towards the demonstration of plasma resonance transistors for microwave detection in the sub-THz domain for wireless communication and sensing. It also paves the way to the realization of doping-modulated superlattices where plasmon propagation is controlled by Klein tunneling.