230

8th International Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering

20-22 December, 2014, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Tunable Slow Light with Graphene based Hyperbolic

Metamaterial
Ayed Al Sayem, 1* M.R.C. Mahdy, 2** D.N.Hasan, 2 and Md. Abdul Matin1
1

Dept. of EEE, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore
*
ayedalsayem143@gmail.com
**
elemrc@nus.edu.sg

Abstract Slow light has always been a topic of extreme interest

for researchers and scientists in order to utilize the full potential of
light in switching, memory devices and in quantum optics.
However, slow light phenomena and its potential applications in
switching and memory devices by tunable graphene based
hyperbolic metamaterial have not still been introduced in
literature. Here we theoretically propose and numerically analyze
a graphene based tunable slow light device from the concept of
controlling the group velocity of light in hyperbolic metamaterials.
In THz range, graphene-dielectric stack can behave as hyperbolic
metamaterials and hyperbolic metamaterials can demonstrate slow
light phenomena while being cladded by air. By utilizing the
tunability option of graphene, proposed devices can be made
tunable, which is the most important criteria to manage the full
advantage of slow light. It ultimately paves a fully new way to find
novel applications in photonic switch, optical buffers and memory
devices. Interestingly, in such graphene based devices, voltage will
play a vital role to control the group velocity of light from slow to
fast and the carriers are photons instead of electrons.
Index TermsGraphene, Slow light, Hyperbolic metamaterial

I. INTRODUCTION
Slow light has always been a topic of extreme interest for
researchers and scientist in order to utilize the full potential of
light in switching, memory and quantum optics, where the full
control of the speed of light is necessary [1]. In such devices,
the term slow light means light with very small group velocity
[1]. On the other hand, in last ten years, hyperbolic
metamaterials (HMMs) [2] have shown their extreme aptness
and applications in plasma physics[3], exhibiting negative
refraction [4], negative index [5], sub-wavelength imaging [6],
nano-scale wave guiding [7], light confinement [8, 9],
nonlinearity enhancement [9], biosensing [10] etc. And recently
HMM has been introduced in solar application by using the slow
light concept [11, 12]. Graphene which is a single atom thick
two dimensional plane of carbon atoms forming a hexagonal
lattice layer with a lattice constant of 0.264 nm [13] has
manifested some fascinating electrical properties and
devices[14, 15]. Now graphene is getting seriously engaged in
enthralling applications of photonics and plasmonics, last of
them being inaugurated in constructing HMM replacing metal
[16, 17]. Due to tunability option of graphene, all the fascinating
properties supported by HMMs are supposed to be boosted by a
marginal range, which in recent literature is already being
reflected [16, 17, 18]. Surprisingly slow light phenomena and
its potential applications in switching and memory devices by
978-1-4799-4166-7/14/$31.00 2014 IEEE

graphene based hyperbolic metamaterial have not still been

introduced in literature to the best ofour knowledge. Here in this
paper, we describe such an enthralling physics and working
principle of a novel tunable slow light device, where the device
is controlled by voltage and the carrier is photon instead of
electron. Such a device may find exciting application in
photonic switch and memory devices, where voltage will play
the role to control the speed of light from slow to fast.
II. THEORY
There are two ways to engineer hyperbolic metamaterial
structure: a) Multilayer realization consisting of alternating subwavelength metal and dielectric layers. b) Metal nanowires in a
dielectric host. Uniaxial anisotropic metamaterial can be
identified by the permittivity tensor.
||

0
0

||

0
0

These uniaxial materials can show hyperbolic dispersion if

they satisfy the condition ||
0
For metal dielectric alternating metamaterial structure, as
long as the length of one unit cell consisting of one metal and
one dielectric layer is less than the wavelength of light used, we
can employ effective medium theory.
By effective medium theory we get,
1
where
is the effective permittivity in
transverse palne and
permittivity in propagation direction and

is the effeticve
is the filling

ratio where
is the thickness of metal layer and
thickness of dielectric layer.

is the

Fig. 1 Graphene-dielectric multilayer hyperbolic metamaterial considered in this

work.

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In case of graphene, at THz frequency range intra-band

transition dominates. The effective permittivity of graphene can
be obtained by two different ways. Frequency and chemical
potential dependent conductivity of a monolayer graphene can
be given by [16],
2 ln

Fig.2 shows the parallel permittivity of the anisotropic structure

at different chemical potential vs different frequencies. As
longitudinal permittivity of the structure is always positive, to
obtain hyperbolic dispersion and also for securing slow light
condition, parallel permittivity of the structure has to be
negative. Fig.3 shows the permittivity of single layer graphene.

1
0

(1)

c= .15eV

The permittivity of graphene dielectric metamaterial can be

given by,
,

c= .0eV

-2000

is the Fermi Dirac function which can be given

Where
by,

c= .30eV

-4000

-6000

(2)
(3)

-8000

Again the effective permittivity can be derived in following

form effective medium approach,
,

10

20

25

30

35

40

Frequency (THz)

Fig. 3 Permittivity of graphene (real part) for different chemical potential at

different frequency.

(4)
,

-12.14

(5)

(6)

is
Where k B is Boltzmann constant, T is temperature,
chemical potential of graphene , h is planks constant, ,
is
angular frequency,
is phenomenological scattering rate
is the thickness of graphene layer,
is the
(.1meV) ,
thickness of dielectric layer and
is the permittivity of
is always
dielectric. As we can see, in graphene based HMM,
positive, so to satisfy ||
0 condition, has to be negative
which can be obtained at THz frequency for graphene based
HMM. So in the THz frequency range, we can expect graphenedielectric stack to act as a hyperbolic metamaterial.
As conductivity of single layer graphene is dependent on
frequency, chemical potential and temperature, permittivity of a
single layer graphene and consequently the parallel permittivity
of graphene-dielectric anisotropic metamaterial possess the
same dependence.
50
0
-50

c= .0eV

-150

c= .15eV

-200

c= .30eV

||

-100

-250
-300
-350
-400
10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Frequency (THz)

Fig. 2 Parallel permittivity (real part) of graphene-dielectric HMM for different

chemical potential at different frequency.

-299.0

c= 0.1eV =20m

-12.16

-299.5

-12.18
-300.0

||

-12.20

15

-12.22

-300.5

-12.24

-301.0
-301.5

-12.26
-12.28

-302.0

-12.30

-302.5

-12.32

280

290

300

310

320

330

340

-303.0

Temperature (k)
Fig. 4 Temperature dependent permittivity (real part) and parallel permittivity
(real part) of graphene and graphene based HMM respectively.

Fig.4 shows the temperature dependence of parallel permittivity

of the structure. To control slow light for switching effect,
temperature might be used as a tuning mechanism but because
of low temperature dependence of parallel permittivity,
temperature controlled switch might not be possible. But for
high temperature dependent signal generation, this structure
might be used.
The most important parameter to change the parallel
permittivity of the structure is chemical potential which can be
changed by external dc field or gate voltage [18]. In this paper
we will discuss the condition of slow light with respect to
chemical potential; at last adopting the relation from [18] with
gate voltage and chemical potential will show a relation of
absorption and transmission with respect to gate voltage.
A waveguide filled with hyperbolic anisotropic metamaterial
cladded by air [11, 12] or an air waveguide cladded by
anisotropic metamaterial [19] can both exhibit slow light
phenomena. It has been revealed that light can come to complete

232

standstill in hyperbolic metamaterial wave guide if the width of

the waveguide is tuned to a certain value for a specific
frequency or wavelength. This slow light phenomenon has been
used to absorb ultra-broadband solar spectrum [11]. Necessary
condition for complete standstill of light is identified by the
condition when two propagating constants (forward and
backward) come to a degeneracy point. For different
wavelengths, the waveguide width at which light will be stopped
will be modified. Solving a uniaxial anisotropic waveguide one
can obtain the following equation for supporting even and odd
TM modes respectively,

slightly. This is because the conductivity of graphene has weak

temperature dependence which is indicated in fig.4 and
consequently the parallel permittivity of the structure is also
very slightly temperature dependent. So we conclude that
temperature cant be a control mechanism for tuning slow light.
So it is veritably not practicable to realize a photonic memory or
switch with
Forward propagating T=280k
Backward propagating T=280k
Forward propagating T=310k
Backward propagating T=310k
Forward propagating T=340k
Backward propagating T=340k

16
14
12

tan

(7)

cot

/k

10
8

(8)

Where

4
2
0
0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

w/

,
5 , W is width of the waveguide.

6 ,

Fig. 5 Temperature dependent Slow Light , normalized propagation constant

as a function of waveguide width w for different temperature (T).
18

III. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS

Fig.5 demonstrates the temperature dependent slow light. It
can be observed that the width of the waveguide which is
required to achieve slow light is changed by temperature

Forward Propagating
Backward Propagating

16
14
12

/ kw

10
8
6
4
2
0
0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

W/

Fig. 6a Slow Light for Graphene based HMM, normalized propagation constant
as a function of waveguide width w. Light is stopped at a certain width where
forward and backward propagating wave coincides, at zero chemical potential
the permittivity of the structure is such that light stops at width
~.15
where
wavelength of the incident light.
Forward Propagating
Backward Propagating

16
14
12

/ kw

In this work, we clearly show that slow light is not only

dependent on the width of the waveguide but also the parallel
and longitudinal permittivity. But why they were not mentioned
so strictly in pervious works of slow light using hyperbolic
metamaterial? Simply because using metal and dialectic, those
values come naturally; there is no way to change to permittivity
of the metal or dielectric at a certain frequency because every
metal or dielectric has a specific permittivity at a specific
wavelength. Though there is one option to tune the structure,
which is the filling ratio of metal and dielectric but once the
structure is fabricated there is no way to change the permittivity
of metal or dielectric or width of the structure or filling ratio. So
a hyperbolic structure built to stop light at a specific frequency
or wavelength at a specific width will always stop light at that
specific width of that specific wavelength or frequency. Light of
that specific wavelength cannot simply pass through structure.
But using graphene we can tune the permittivity of the structure
after fabrication, why? Because permittivity of graphene is
simply dependent on conductivity and that conductivity is
dependent on chemical potential which can be tuned by external
electric field or dc voltage. Though tuning the chemical
potential might be difficult in this complicated structure (but by
no means impossible [18]). In addition, we dont need a huge
variation in chemical potential to disobey the condition for slow
light. It means that a graphene-dielectric structure, which is
tuned to stop light of specific wavelength, we can let that light to
be a transmitting one by changing chemical potential. Thus we
can make a photonic memory switch. So basically we can
control slow light at our will.

10
8
6
4
2
0
0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

W/

Fig. 6b
Slow Light for Graphene based HMM, normalized propagation
constant as a function of waveguide width w. Light is stopped at a certain
width where forward and backward propagating wave coincides, at .2eV
chemical potential the permittivity of the structure is such that light stops at
width
~.235 where
wavelength of the incident light ,thus violating
the condition for slow light for zero chemical potential.

233

find novel applications in photonic switch, optical buffers and

memory devices replacing current technologies.

-10

(real)

REFERENCES
-20

[1]

-30

[2]

-40

||

-50

-60
0.0

0.1

[3]
[4]
0.2

0.3

0.4

[5]

Chemical Potential (eV)

Fig. 7 Parallel and longitudinal permittivity (real part) of Graphene-dielectric

metamaterial structure at different chemical potential.

temperature control but it may find application where

temperature sensitive light device is obligatory.
Fig.6a and 6b clearly shows the chemical potential dependent
slow light in graphene based HMM. At first we want to discuss
the slow light mechanism for unbiased graphene or with zero
chemical potential. In fig.5a the black and red line represents the
forward and backward propagating waves respectively. When
~.14 light is stopped at that width. In the
above example, we are using light of wavelength of 20 , then
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.14
2.8
to achieve slow light condition. So now if we can change
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trapped
or
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Now let us consider a rectangular waveguide which has the
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IV. CONCLUSIONS
In this work, we have briefly pointed out the possibility of
tunable slow light by using a graphene based hyperbolic
medium. As graphene is actively tunable, the device is also
tunable. Slow light is itself a fascinating phenomenon. Active
tunability in order to achieve complete stopping of light and
letting it transmit again via gate voltage may pave the way to
future voltage controlled phonotic memory devices. The control
mechanism will be gate voltage and the carriers will be photons.
Group velocity of the photons will be controlled by gate voltage.
In future, such devices may ultimately pave a fully new way to

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