Gated Bilayer Graphene Research Articles

Fano resonances in gated phosphorene junctions

Fano resonances appear in plenty of physical phenomena due to the interference phenomena of a continuum spectrum and discrete states. In gated bilayer graphene junctions, the chiral matching at oblique incidence between the spectrum of electron states outside the electrostatic barrier and hole bound states inside it gives rise to an asymmetric line shape in the transmission as a function of the energy or Fano resonance. Here, we show that Fano resonances are also possible in gated phosphorene junctions along the zigzag direction. The special pseudospin texture of the charge carriers in the zigzag direction allows at oblique incidence the interference phenomena of the spectrum of electron states outside the electrostatic barrier with hole bound states inside it, giving rise to an asymmetric Fano line shape in the transmission. Due to the energy scale of the electrostatic barriers in phosphorene ultra thin barriers are required to observe the Fano resonance phenomenon. The preservation of the pseudospin texture with the closing of the phosphorene band gap opens the possibility to observe Fano resonances in smaller and wider electrostatic barriers. The asymmetric Fano line shape is susceptible to the transverse wave vector, the strength and width of the electrostatic barrier. Additionally, the conductance shows a characteristic mark in the position where the Fano resonances take place. The similarities and differences with respect to Fano resonances in bilayer graphene are also addressed.

Optical properties of gated bilayer graphene quantum dots with trigonal warping

Optical properties of gated bilayer graphene quantum dots with trigonal warping

Localized Floquet states in gated bilayer graphene induced by a focused optical beam with orbital angular momentum

Localized Floquet states in gated bilayer graphene induced by a focused optical beam with orbital angular momentum

Terahertz Detection by Asymmetric Dual Grating Gate Bilayer Graphene FETs with Integrated Bowtie Antenna.

An asymmetric dual-grating gate bilayer graphene-based field effect transistor (ADGG-GFET) with an integrated bowtie antenna was fabricated and its response as a Terahertz (THz) detector was experimentally investigated. The device was cooled down to 4.5 K, and excited at different frequencies (0.15, 0.3 and 0.6 THz) using a THz solid-state source. The integration of the bowtie antenna allowed to obtain a substantial increase in the photocurrent response (up to 8 nA) of the device at the three studied frequencies as compared to similar transistors lacking the integrated antenna (1 nA). The photocurrent increase was observed for all the studied values of the bias voltage applied to both the top and back gates. Besides the action of the antenna that helps the coupling of THz radiation to the transistor channel, the observed enhancement by nearly one order of magnitude of the photoresponse is also related to the modulation of the hole and electron concentration profiles inside the transistor channel by the bias voltages imposed to the top and back gates. The creation of local n and p regions leads to the formation of homojuctions (np, pn or pp+) along the channel that strongly affects the overall photoresponse of the detector. Additionally, the bias of both back and top gates could induce an opening of the gap of the bilayer graphene channel that would also contribute to the photocurrent.

Phase transition related thermal radiation in gated bilayer graphene

Phase transition related thermal radiation in gated bilayer graphene

Spontaneous Spin and Valley Symmetry-Broken States of Interacting Massive Dirac Fermions in a Bilayer Graphene Quantum Dot.

We predict the existence of spontaneous spin and valley symmetry-broken states of interacting massive Dirac Fermions in a gated bilayer graphene quantum dot based on the exact diagonalization of the many-body Hamiltonian. The dot is defined by a vertical electric field and lateral gates, and its single-particle (SP) energies, wave functions, and Coulomb matrix elements are computed by using the atomistic tight-binding model. The effect of the Coulomb interaction is measured by the ratio of Coulomb elements to the SP level spacing. As we increase the interaction strength, we find the electrons in a series of spin and valley symmetry-broken phases with increasing valley and spin polarizations. The phase transitions result from the competition of the SP, exchange, and correlation energy scales. A phase diagram for N = 1-6 electrons is mapped out as a function of the Coulomb interaction strength.

Gate-Tunable Phonon Magnetic Moment in Bilayer Graphene.

We develop a first-principles quantum scheme to calculate the phonon magnetic moment in solids. As a showcase example, we apply our method to study gated bilayer graphene, a material with strong covalent bonds. According to the classical theory based on the Born effective charge, the phonon magnetic moment in this system should vanish, yet our quantum mechanical calculations find significant phonon magnetic moments. Furthermore, the magnetic moment is highly tunable by changing the gate voltage. Our results firmly establish the necessity of the quantum mechanical treatment, and identify small-gap covalent materials as a promising platform for studying tunable phonon magnetic moment.

Perfect control of spin, valley and spin-valley-coupled currents in bilayer graphene on WSe2 magnetic junction: Effect of spin-valley dependent Fermi level and energy gap

We investigate the spin-valley dependent transport properties in a gated bilayer graphene (BG) junction placed on top of WSe2. By means of layer-dependent proximity, the spin–orbit interaction (SOI) is induced in the bottom layer, while the top layer is induced into ferromagnetism by a magnetic insulator. As a result of these differing properties, the Fermi level and energy gap become spin-valley dependent, which could lead to controllable spin- and valley-dependent filtering in the BG system. Our findings predict perfect spin-valley polarization control through gate control, given specific energy and electric field conditions, as well as spin-valley-coupled and spin currents when both the electric-field-induced energy gap and the exchange energy are equal to the SOI strength. We predict that there will be very highly sensitive gate control of −100% to + 100% of spin-valley-coupled polarization for large barrier thickness. Additionally, we predict 100% valley polarization can be controlled by the gate when the exchange energy is equal to the SOI. Furthermore, we found that the performance of the junction to control the polarizations can be enhanced by increasing the thickness of the junction. This work reveals the potential of the BG/WSe2 hybrid structure for spin-valley-current-based electronics, such as spin-, valley-, and spin-valley field-effect transistors.

Theory of Excitons in Gated Bilayer Graphene Quantum Dots

We present a theory of excitons in gated bilayer graphene (BLG) quantum dots (QDs). Electrical gating of BLG opens an energy gap, turning this material into an electrically tunable semiconductor. Unlike in laterally gated semiconductor QDs, where electrons are attracted and holes repelled, we show here that lateral structuring of metallic gates results in a gated lateral QD confining both electrons and holes. Using an accurate atomistic approach and exact diagonalization tools, we describe strongly interacting electrons and holes forming an electrically tunable exciton. We find these excitons to be different from those found in semiconductor QDs and nanocrystals, with exciton energy tunable by voltage from the terahertz to far infrared (FIR) range. The conservation of spin, valley, and orbital angular momentum results in an exciton fine structure with a band of dark low-energy states, making this system a promising candidate for storage, detection and emission of photons in the terahertz range.

Thermoelectricity in bilayer graphene superlattices

Low-dimensional thermoelectricity is based on the redistribution-accumulation of the electron density of states by reducing the dimension of thermoelectric structures. Superlattices are the archetype of these structures due to the formation of energy minibands and minigaps. Here, we study for the first time the thermoelectric response of gated bilayer graphene superlattices (GBGSLs). The study is based on the four-band effective Dirac Hamiltonian, the hybrid matrix method and the Landauer-Büttiker formalism. We analyze the Seebeck coefficient, the power factor, figure of merit, output power and efficiency for different temperatures and different superlattice structural parameters. We pay special attention to the impact of not only minibands and minigaps on the thermoelectric properties, but also to intrinsic resonances in bilayer graphene structures such as Breit-Wigner, Fano and hybrid resonances. In particular, we analyze the interplay between minibands and Fano resonances as a possible mechanism to improve the thermoelectric response of GBGSLs. We also compute the density of states to know if the redistribution-accumulation of electron states is implicated in the thermoelectric response of GBGSLs.

Physical origin of current partition at a topological trifurcation

In gated bilayer graphene, topological zero-line modes (ZLMs) appear along lines separating regions with opposite valley Hall topologies. Although it is experimentally difficult to design the electric gates to realize ZLMs due to the extremely challenging techniques, twisted bilayer graphene provides a natural platform to produce ZLMs in the presence of uniform electric field. In this Letter, we develop a set of wavepacket dynamics, which can be utilized to characterize various gapless edge modes and can quantitatively reproduce the electronic transport properties at topological intersections. To our surprise, in the minimally twisted bilayer graphene where a topological trifurcation intersection naturally arises, we show that the counterintuitive current partition (i.e., the direct transport propagation) originates from the microscopic mechanism "bypass jump". Our method can be applied to understand the microscopic pictures of the electronic transport features of all kinds of topological states.

Transport Spectroscopy of Ultraclean Tunable Band Gaps in Bilayer Graphene

AbstractThe importance of controlling both the charge carrier density and the band gap of a semiconductor cannot be overstated, as it opens the doors to a wide range of applications, including, for example, highly‐tunable transistors, photodetectors, and lasers. Bernal‐stacked bilayer graphene is a unique van‐der‐Waals material that allows tuning of the band gap by an out‐of‐plane electric field. Although the first evidence of the tunable gap is already found 10 years ago, it took until recent to fabricate sufficiently clean heterostructures where the electrically induced gap can be used to fully suppress transport or confine charge carriers. Here, a detailed study of the tunable band gap in gated bilayer graphene characterized by temperature‐activated transport and finite‐bias spectroscopy measurements is presented. The latter method allows comparing different gate materials and device technologies, which directly affects the disorder potential in bilayer graphene. It is shown that graphite‐gated bilayer graphene exhibits extremely low disorder and as good as no subgap states resulting in ultraclean tunable band gaps up to 120 meV. The size of the band gaps are in good agreement with theory and allow complete current suppression making a wide range of semiconductor applications possible.

Long-range and tunable RKKY interaction in the topological channel of gated bilayer graphene

Two separate gate electrodes with opposite gate voltages can drive an AB-stacked bilayer graphene (BLG) under them into different quantum valley Hall states. And between the two topological domains there appears a one-dimensional boundary, dubbed the topological channel (TC). By means of the Lanczos method, we theoretically study the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction between two magnetic impurities in such a TC of BLG. We find that the RKKY interaction is long-range with an ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ decay rate as the distance $R$ between two magnetic impurities increases, whereas the slowest decay rate in any graphene structure is ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ according to previous literature. Moreover, we also find that the strength and sign of the RKKY interaction in the TC can be readily controlled by altering the gate voltage or carrier doping. Such a tunable and ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ decaying RKKY interaction implies the possibility of establishing and controlling a long-range magnetic ordering state in a dilute magnetic impurity-doped BLG.

Periodically Gated Bilayer Graphene as an Electronic Metamaterial

We study ballistic transport in periodically gated bilayer graphene as a candidate for a 2D electronic metamaterial. Our calculations use the equilibrium Green function formalism and take into account quantum corrections to charge density changes induced by a periodically modulated top gate voltage. Our results reveal an intriguing interference-like pattern, similar to that of a Fabry-Perot interferometer, in the resistance map as a function of the voltage $V_{BG}$ applied to the extended bottom gate and $V_{TG}$ applied to the periodic top gate.

Giant effective charges and piezoelectricity in gapped graphene

Since the first realization of reversible charge doping in graphene via field-effect devices, it has become evident how the induction of a gap could further enhance its potential for technological applications. Here we show that the gap opening due to a sublattice symmetry breaking has also a profound impact on the polar response of graphene. By combining ab initio calculations and analytical modelling we show that for realistic band-gap values ( eV) the piezoelectric coefficient and the Born effective charge of graphene attain a giant value, independent on the gap. In particular the piezoelectric coefficient per layer of gapped mono- and bilayer graphene is three times larger than that of a large-gap full polar insulator as hexagonal Boron nitride (h-BN) monolayer, and 30% larger than that of a polar semiconductor as MoS2. This surprising result indicates that piezoelectric acoustic-phonons scattering can be relevant to model charge transport and charge-carrier relaxation in gated bilayer graphene. The independence of the piezoelectric coefficient and of the Born effective charge on the gap value follows from the connection between the polar response and the valley Chern number of gapped Dirac electrons, a relation previously identified for polar h-BN and made possible by the effective gauge-field description of the electron-lattice/strain coupling in these systems. In the small gap limit, where the adiabatic ab initio approximation fails, we implement analytically the calculation of the dynamical effective charge, and we establish a universal relation between the complex effective charge and the so-called Fano profile of the phonon optical peak. Our results provide a general theoretical framework to understand and compute the polar response in narrow-gap semiconductors, but may also be relevant for the contribution of piezoelectric scattering to the transport properties in Dirac-like systems.

Energetics of the complex phase diagram of a tunable bilayer graphene probed by quantum capacitance

Bilayer graphene provides a unique platform to explore the rich physics in quantum Hall effect. The unusual combination of spin, valley and orbital degeneracy leads to interesting symmetry broken states with electric and magnetic field. Conventional transport measurements like resistance measurements have been performed to probe the different ordered states in bilayer graphene. However, not much work has been done to directly map the energetics of those states in bilayer graphene. Here, we have carried out the magneto capacitance measurements with electric and magnetic field in a hexagonal boron nitride encapsulated dual gated bilayer graphene device. At zero magnetic field, using the quantum capacitance technique we measure the gap around the charge neutrality point as a function of perpendicular electric field and the obtained value of the gap matches well with the theory. In presence of perpendicular magnetic field, we observe Landau level crossing in our magneto-capacitance measurements with electric field. The gap closing and reopening of the lowest Landau level with electric and magnetic field shows the transition from one ordered state to another one. Further more we observe the collapsing of the Landau levels near the band edge at higher electric field ($\bar D > 0.5$ V/nm), which was predicted theoretically. The complete energetics of the Landau levels of bilayer graphene with electric and magnetic field in our experiment paves the way to unravel the nature of ground states of the system.

A Surface Potential-Based Model for Dual Gate Bilayer Graphene Field Effect Transistor Including the Capacitive Effects

In this work, a surface potential modeling approach has been proposed to model dual gate, bilayer graphene field effect transistor. The equivalent capacitive network of GFET has been improved considering the quantum capacitance effect for each layer and interlayer capacitances. Surface potentials of both layers are determined analytically from equivalent capacitive network. The explicit expression of drain to source current is established from drift-diffusion transport mechanism using the surface potentials of the layers. The drain current characteristics and transfer characteristics of the developed model shows good agreement with the experimental results in literatures. The small signal parameters of intrinsic graphene transistor i.e., output conductance ([Formula: see text]), transconductance ([Formula: see text]), gate to drain capacitance ([Formula: see text]) and gate to source capacitance ([Formula: see text]) have been derived and finally, the cut-off frequency is determined for the developed model. The model is compared with reported experimental data using Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE) metric and it shows less than [Formula: see text] NRMSE. A Verilog-A code has been developed for this model and a single ended frequency doubler has been designed in Cadence Design environment using this Verilog-A model.

Spin-layer locked gapless states in gated bilayer graphene.

Gated bilayer graphene exhibits spin-degenerate gapless states with a topological character localized at stacking domain walls. These states allow for one-dimensional currents along the domain walls. We herein demonstrate that these topologically protected currents are spin-polarized and locked in a single layer when bilayer graphene contains stacking domain walls decorated with magnetic defects. The magnetic defects, which we model as π-vacancies, perturb the topological states but also lift their spin degeneracy. One gapless state survives the perturbation of these defects, and its spin polarization is largely localized in one layer. The spin-polarized current in the topological state flows in a single layer, and this finding suggests the possibility of effectively exploiting these states in spintronic applications.

Equilibration of quantum Hall edges in symmetry-broken bilayer graphene

Equilibration of quantum Hall edges is studied in a high quality dual gated bilayer graphene device in both unipolar and bipolar regime when all the degeneracies of the zero energy Landau level are completely lifted. We find that in the unipolar regime when the filling factor under the top gate region is higher than the back gate filling factor, the equilibration is partial based on their spin polarization. However, the complete mixing of the edge states is observed in the bipolar regime irrespective of their spin configurations due to the Landau level collapsing at the sharp pn junction in our thin hBN (~ 15 nm) encapsulated device, in consistent with the existing theory.

Edge states in gated bilayer-monolayer graphene ribbons and bilayer domain walls

Using the effective continuum model, the electron energy spectrum of gated bilayer graphene with a step-like region of decoupled graphene layers at the edge of the sample is studied. Different types of coupled-decoupled interfaces are considered, i.e., zigzag (ZZ) and armchair junctions, which result in significant different propagating states. Two non-valley-polarized conducting edge states are observed for ZZ type, which are mainly located around the ZZ-ended graphene layers. Additionally, we investigated both BA-BA and BA-AB domain walls in the gated bilayer graphene within the continuum approximation. Unlike the BA-BA domain wall, which exhibits gapped insulating behaviour, the domain walls surrounded by different stackings of bilayer regions feature valley-polarized edge states. Our findings are consistent with other theoretical calculations, such as from the tight-binding model and first-principles calculations, and agree with experimental observations.