Strain engineering for pseudo-magnetic fields in graphene

Abstract

The potential for establishing energy gaps by pseudo-magnetic fields in strain-engineered graphene has sparked much interest recently. However, the limited sizes of induced pseudo-magnetic fields and the complicated platforms for straining graphene have thus far prevented researchers from harnessing the unique pseudo-magnetic fields in optoelectronic devices. In this work, we present an experimental demonstration of triaxially strained suspended graphene structures capable of obtaining quasi-uniform pseudo-magnetic fields over a large scale. The novel metal electrode design functions as both stressors and current injectors. We also propose a hybrid laser structure employing a 2D photonic crystal and triaxially strained graphene as an optical cavity and gain medium, respectively.