Common-path interference and oscillatory Zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p-n junctions
Interference and tunneling are two signature quantum effects that are often perceived as the yin and yang of quantum mechanics: a particle simultaneously propagating along several distinct classical paths versus a particle penetrating through a classically inaccessible region via a single least-acti...
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70487 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4268-731X |
| _version_ | 1811096567861477376 |
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| author | Nandkishore, Rahul Mahajan Levitov, Leonid |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Nandkishore, Rahul Mahajan Levitov, Leonid |
| author_sort | Nandkishore, Rahul Mahajan |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Interference and tunneling are two signature quantum effects that are often perceived as the yin and yang of quantum mechanics: a particle simultaneously propagating along several distinct classical paths versus a particle penetrating through a classically inaccessible region via a single least-action path. Here we demonstrate that the Dirac quasiparticles in graphene provide a dramatic departure from this paradigm. We show that Zener tunneling in gapped bilayer graphene, which governs transport through p-n heterojunctions, exhibits common-path interference that takes place under the tunnel barrier. Due to a symmetry peculiar to the gapped bilayer graphene bandstructure, interfering tunneling paths form conjugate pairs, giving rise to high-contrast oscillations in transmission as a function of the gate-tunable bandgap and other control parameters of the junction. The common-path interference is solely due to forward-propagating waves; in contrast to Fabry–Pérot-type interference in resonant-tunneling structures, it does not rely on multiple backscattering. The oscillations manifest themselves in the junction I–V characteristic as N-shaped branches with negative differential conductivity. The negative dI/dV, which arises solely due to under-barrier interference, can enable new high-speed active-circuit devices with architectures that are not available in electronic semiconductor devices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:45:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/70487 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:45:45Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/704872022-10-03T08:05:13Z Common-path interference and oscillatory Zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p-n junctions Nandkishore, Rahul Mahajan Levitov, Leonid Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Levitov, Leonid Nandkishore, Rahul Mahajan Levitov, Leonid Interference and tunneling are two signature quantum effects that are often perceived as the yin and yang of quantum mechanics: a particle simultaneously propagating along several distinct classical paths versus a particle penetrating through a classically inaccessible region via a single least-action path. Here we demonstrate that the Dirac quasiparticles in graphene provide a dramatic departure from this paradigm. We show that Zener tunneling in gapped bilayer graphene, which governs transport through p-n heterojunctions, exhibits common-path interference that takes place under the tunnel barrier. Due to a symmetry peculiar to the gapped bilayer graphene bandstructure, interfering tunneling paths form conjugate pairs, giving rise to high-contrast oscillations in transmission as a function of the gate-tunable bandgap and other control parameters of the junction. The common-path interference is solely due to forward-propagating waves; in contrast to Fabry–Pérot-type interference in resonant-tunneling structures, it does not rely on multiple backscattering. The oscillations manifest themselves in the junction I–V characteristic as N-shaped branches with negative differential conductivity. The negative dI/dV, which arises solely due to under-barrier interference, can enable new high-speed active-circuit devices with architectures that are not available in electronic semiconductor devices. 2012-05-02T20:29:10Z 2012-05-02T20:29:10Z 2011-08 2011-01 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0027-8424 1091-6490 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70487 Nandkishore, R., and L. Levitov. “Common-path Interference and Oscillatory Zener Tunneling in Bilayer Graphene P-n Junctions.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108.34 (2011): 14021–14025. Web. ©2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4268-731X en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1101352108 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) PNAS |
| spellingShingle | Nandkishore, Rahul Mahajan Levitov, Leonid Common-path interference and oscillatory Zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p-n junctions |
| title | Common-path interference and oscillatory Zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p-n junctions |
| title_full | Common-path interference and oscillatory Zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p-n junctions |
| title_fullStr | Common-path interference and oscillatory Zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p-n junctions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Common-path interference and oscillatory Zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p-n junctions |
| title_short | Common-path interference and oscillatory Zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p-n junctions |
| title_sort | common path interference and oscillatory zener tunneling in bilayer graphene p n junctions |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70487 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4268-731X |
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