Tuning Optical Conductivity of Large-Scale CVD Graphene by Strain Engineering

Strain engineering has been recently recognized as an effective way to tailor the electrical properties of graphene. In the optical domain, effects such as strain-induced anisotropic absorption add an appealing functionality to graphene, opening the prospect for atomically thin optical elements. Indeed, graphene is currently one of the notable players in the intense drive towards bendable, thin, and portable electronic displays, where its intrinsically metallic, optically transparent, and mechanically robust nature are major advantages. Given that the intrinsic transparency of a graphene monolayer is 97.7 %, any small, reproducible, controllable, and potentially reversible modulation of transparency can have a significant impact for graphene as a viable transparent conducting electrode. Even more so, if the degree of modulation is polarization dependent. Here we show that the transparency in the visible range of graphene pre-strained on a Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate exhibits a periodic modulation (0.1 %) as a function of polarization direction, which we interpret as strain-induced optical anisotropy. The degree of anisotropy is varied by reversible external manipulation of the level of pre-strain. The magnitude of strain is monitored independently by optical absorption and Raman spectroscopy, and the experimental observations are consistent with the theoretically expected modification of the optical conductivity of graphene arising from the strain-induced changes in the electronic dispersion of graphene. The strain sensitivity of the optical response of graphene demonstrated in this study can be potentially utilized towards novel ultra-thin optical devices and strain sensing applications.