Kinetic inductance driven nanoscale 2D and 3D THz transmission lines

We examine the unusual dispersion and attenuation of transverse electromagnetic waves in the few-THz regime on nanoscale graphene and copper transmission lines. Conventionally, such propagation has been considered to be highly dispersive, due to the RC time constant-driven voltage diffusion below 1 THz and plasmonic effects at higher optical frequencies. Our numerical modeling across the microwave, THz, and optical frequency ranges reveals that the conductor kinetic inductance creates an ultra-broadband linear-dispersion and constant-attenuation region in the THz regime. This so-called LC region is an ideal characteristic that is known to be absent in macro-scale transmission lines. The kinetic-LC frequency range is dictated by the structural dimensionality and the free-carrier scattering rate of the conductor material. Moreover, up to 40x wavelength reduction is observed in graphene transmission lines.