Electron Collimation in Twisted Bilayer Graphene via Gate-Defined Moiré Barriers

Nano Lett. 2024 Sep 24. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03373. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Electron collimation via a graphene p-n junction allows electrostatic control of ballistic electron trajectories akin to that of an optical circuit. Similar manipulation of novel correlated electronic phases in twisted-bilayer graphene (tBLG) can provide additional probes to the underlying physics and device components toward advanced quantum electronics. In this work, we demonstrate collimation of the electron flow via gate-defined moiré barriers in a tBLG device, utilizing the band-insulator gap of the moiré superlattice. A single junction can be tuned to host a chosen combination of conventional pseudo barrier and moiré tunnel barriers, from which we demonstrate improved collimation efficiency. By measuring transport through two consecutive moiré collimators separated by 1 μm, we demonstrate evidence of electron collimation in tBLG in the presence of realistic twist-angle inhomogeneity.

Keywords: Band-Insulator Gap; Electron Collimation; Gate-Defined Junction; Moiré Barrier; Twisted Bilayer Graphene.