In this work, we propose a near-field radiative thermal transistor made oftwo graphene-covered silicon carbide (SiC) plates separated by a nanometervacuum gap. Thick SiC plates serve as the thermal "source" and "drain", whilegraphene sheets function as the "gate" to modulate the near-field photontunneling by tuning chemical potential with applied voltage biasessymmetrically or asymmetrically. The radiative heat flux calculated fromfluctuational electrodynamics significantly varies with graphene chemicalpotentials, which can tune the coupling between graphene plasmon across thevacuum gap. Thermal modulation, switching, and amplification, which are the keyfeatures required for a thermal transistor, are theoretically realized andanalyzed. This work will pave the way to active thermal management, thermalcircuits, and thermal computing.
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