High-Efficiency Optical Signal Transmission Achieved Using an Integrated Carbon Nanotube-Based 1D Emitter and 2D Detector

Abstract

Miniaturized and wearable optical communication technology is playing a vital role in a wide range of applications, including environmental and physiological monitoring systems, as well as remote sensing systems. However, it is difficult to manufacture efficient and flexible light emitters and detectors due to the intrinsic limitations of conventional semiconductors. We report a flexible and broadband carbon nanotube (CNT)-based optoelectronic device that consists of a CNT fiber emitter and a Bi₂Te₃/CNT film detector. The 1D CNT fiber significantly increases thermal emission by minimizing energy loss, while the 2D Bi₂Te₃/CNT-film efficiently detects the emitted light, because of its high light absorption and conversion capabilities. As a result, the constructed optoelectronic device has a record-high quality factor of 2.8 × 10⁵ S A m⁻¹ W⁻¹, which is an order of magnitude higher than that of reported carbon-based devices. A minimized and wearable optical communication system was constructed, which enables data transmission between a spun fiber emitter and a film detector. When integrated with wet-spinning equipment for the manufacture of CNT-fibers, it enabled the in situ testing of the quality of the fibers.