Time-resolved thermal response and electric-thermal communication in graphene electronics investigated via in situ scanning thermal microscopy

As the demand for reliable high-performance nanoelectronics grows, comprehensive research on time-resolved nanoscale thermal detection in operating devices is becoming urgent. Here, we employ scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) to investigate the real-time thermal response of graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs), further exhibiting their potential application in advanced electric-thermal communication. Revealed by in situ nanoscale temperature images, the full width at half maximum of hotspot in the GFET channel is 700 nm approximately, approaching the diffraction limit of traditional optics. The average temperature of device channel is proportional to the electric power from gate voltage, which manipulates the carrier concentration. Furthermore, a controllable management to the hotspot distribution is achieved successfully by adjusting the gate voltage in GFET. Profited from precise characterization and effective control of thermal distribution, the thermal response of GFET under 100 Hz voltage modulation is real-time monitored via SThM. Notably, the thermal response speed of GFET reaches up to 1 ms during our measurement, empowering outstanding capability for electric-thermal communication across various frequency modulations. This rapid thermal response might be attributed to excellent thermal conductivity and low specific heat capacity of graphene. Our findings highlight the potential of SThM in rapid and sensitive thermal response detection based on graphene nanoelectronics, which also potentially opens up new possibilities for more efficient and precise electric-thermal communication in the future.