We present a versatile design of freely suspended quantum point contacts with particular large one-dimensional subband quantization energies of up to 10meV. The nanoscale bridges embedding a two-dimensional electron system are fabricated from AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures by electron-beam lithography and etching techniques. Narrow constrictions define quantum point contacts that are capacitively controlled via local in-plane side gates. Employing transport spectroscopy, we investigate the transition from electrostatic subbands to Landau-quantization in a perpendicular magnetic field. The large subband quantization energies allow us to utilize a wide magnetic field range and thereby observe a large exchange splitted spin-gap of the two lowest Landau-levels.
We report on optically induced transport phenomena in freely suspended channels containing a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). The submicron devices are fabricated in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures by etching techniques. The photoresponse of the devices can be understood in terms of the combination of photogating and a photodoping effect. The hereby enhanced electronic conductance exhibits a time constant in the range of one to ten milliseconds.
Free standing beams containing a two-dimensional electron system are shaped from a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. Quantum point contacts and (double) quantum dots are laterally defined using metal top gates. We investigate the electronic properties of these nanostructures by transport spectroscopy. Tunable localized electron states in freely suspended nanostructures are a promising tool to investigate the electron-phonon-interaction.
We present magnetotransport measurements on freely suspended two-dimensional electron gases from AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures. The technique to realize such devices relies on a specially MBE grown GaAs/AlGaAs-heterostructure including a sacrificial layer. We fabricated simple Hall-bars as well as quantum cavities and quantum dot systems. We find well-pronounced Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and observe commensurability resonances, allowing characterization of the electron gas in these 100 nm thin membranes.
The photocurrent properties of freely suspended single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are investigated as a function of uniaxial strain. We observe that at low strain, the photocurrent signal of the CNTs increases for increasing strain, while for large strain, the signal decreases, respectively. We interpret the non-monotonous behavior by a superposition of the influence of the uniaxial strain on the resistivity of the CNTs and the effects caused by Schottky contacts between the CNTs and the metal contacts.
We fabricate freely suspended nanosheets of MoS2 which are characterized by quantitative optical microscopy and high resolution friction force microscopy. We study the elastic deformation of freely suspended nanosheets of MoS2 using an atomic force microscope. The Young's modulus and the initial pre-tension of the nanosheets are determined by performing a nanoscopic version of a bending test experiment. MoS2 sheets show high elasticity and an extremely high Young's modulus (0.30 TPa, 50% larger than steel). These results make them a potential alternative to graphene in applications requiring f…
We study the elastic deformation of few layers (5 to 25) thick freely suspended MoS2 nanosheets by means of a nanoscopic version of a bending test experiment, carried out with the tip of an atomic force microscope. The Young's modulus of these nanosheets is extremely high (E = 0.33 TPa), comparable to that of graphene oxide, and the deflections are reversible up to tens of nanometers.
The recent observation of fractional quantum Hall effect in high mobility suspended graphene devices introduced a new direction in graphene physics, the field of electron-electron interaction dynamics. However, the technique used currently for the fabrication of such high mobility devices has several drawbacks. The most important is that the contact materials available for electronic devices are limited to only a few metals (Au, Pd, Pt, Cr and Nb) since only those are not attacked by the reactive acid (BHF) etching fabrication step. Here we show a new technique which leads to mechanically stab…
Determining the electronic properties of nanoscopic, low-dimensional materials free of external influences is key to discovery and understanding of new physical phenomena. An example is the suspension of graphene, which has allowed access to their intrinsic charge transport properties. Furthermore, suspending thin films enables their application as membranes, sensors, or resonators, as has been explored extensively. While the suspension of covalently-bound, electronically-active thin films is well established, semiconducting thin films composed of functional molecules only held together by van…
We have studied the elastic deformation of freely suspended atomically thin sheets of muscovite mica, a widely used electrical insulator in its bulk form. Using an atomic force microscope, we carried out bending test experiments to determine the Young's modulus and the initial pre-tension of mica nanosheets with thicknesses ranging from 14 layers down to just one bilayer. We found that their Young's modulus is high (190 GPa), in agreement with the bulk value, which indicates that the exfoliation procedure employed to fabricate these nanolayers does not introduce a noticeable amount of defects.…
The study of atomically thin two-dimensional materials is a young and rapidly growing field. In the past years, a great advance in the study of the remarkable electrical and optical properties of 2D materials fabricated by exfoliation of bulk layered materials has been achieved. Due to the extraordinary mechanical properties of these atomically thin materials, they also hold a great promise for future applications such as flexible electronics. For example, this family of materials can sustain very large deformations without breaking. Due to the combination of small dimensions, high Young's mod…
Freely suspended metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) exhibit reduced current carrying ability compared to those lying on substrates, and striking negative differential conductance (NDC) at low electric fields. Theoretical analysis reveals significant self-heating effects including electron scattering by hot non-equilibrium optical phonons. Electron transport characteristics under strong self-heating are exploited for the first time to probe the thermal conductivity of individual SWNTs (~ 3600 Wm-1K-1 at T=300 K) up to ~700 K, and reveal a 1/T dependence expected for Umklapp phonon sc…
We have measured the magneto-resistance of freely suspended high-mobility bilayer graphene. For magnetic fields $B>1$ T we observe the opening of a field induced gap at the charge neutrality point characterized by a diverging resistance. For higher fields the eight-fold degenerated lowest Landau level lifts completely. Both the sequence of this symmetry breaking and the strong transition of the gap-size point to a ferromagnetic nature of the insulating phase developing at the charge neutrality point.
High bias electrical transport characteristics of freely suspended metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are investigated at 250-400K in vacuum and various gases. Self-heating is exploited to examine the temperature dependence of phonon transport and optical phonon decay in SWNTs. The acoustic phonon thermal conductivity of a SWNT follows ~1/T at high temperatures. Non-equilibrium optical phonon effects in suspended nanotubes decrease as the ambient temperature increases. Gas molecules assist the relaxation of hot optical phonons along the tube length and enable enhanced current flow…
We present self-consistent calculations of electron transport in graphene nanoconstrictions within the Hartree approximation. We consider suspended armchair ribbons with V-shaped constrictions having perfect armchair or zigzag edges as well as mesoscopically smooth but atomically stepped constrictions with cosine profiles. Our calculations are based on a tight-binding model of the graphene and account for electron-electron interactions in both the constriction and the semi-infinite leads explicitly. We find that electron interactions result in (i) Electrons accumulating along edges of the unif…
A yet unexplored area in graphene electronics is the field of quantum ballistic transport through graphene nanostructures. Recent developments in the preparation of high mobility graphene are expected to lead to the experimental verification and/or discovery of many new quantum mechanical effects in this field. Examples are effects due to specific graphene edges, such as spin polarization at zigzag edges of a graphene nanoribbon and the use of the valley degree of freedom in the field of graphene valleytronics8. As a first step in this direction we present the observation of quantized conducta…
Quantized Conductance through Surface States in High Quality Three-Dimensional Dirac Semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$ Nanowire/Nanoribbon p-n Junctions
DGIST Research Institute, DGIST（大邱科学技术院研究学院）；Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore（新加坡国立大学电气与计算机工程系）；Department of Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology（皇家理工学院物理系）；Industrial AX Innovation Research Institute and Sensor Technology Support Center, DGIST（大邱科学技术院工业AX创新研究所及传感器技术支持中心）；Department of Advanced Materials Chemistry, Korea University（韩国大学先进材料化学系）；Department of Physics and Chemistry, DGIST（大邱科学技术院物理化学系）；Department of Interdisciplinary Engineering, DGIST（大邱科学技术院交叉工程学系）；Institute of next generation semiconductor technology (INST), DGIST（大邱科学技术院下一代半导体技术研究所）
Motivated by a freely suspended graphene and polymerized membranes in soft and biological matter we present a detailed study of a tensionless elastic sheet in the presence of thermal fluctuations and quenched disorder. The manuscript is based on an extensive draft dating back to 1993, that was circulated privately. It presents the general theoretical framework and calculational details of numerous results, partial forms of which have been published in brief Letters (Le Doussal and Radzihovsky 1992). The experimental realization of atom-thin graphene sheets has driven a resurgence in this fasci…
The electrical transport properties of atomic-scale conductors are reviewed, with an emphasis on the relations of this problem with studies on quantum size effects in metallic clusters. A brief introduction is given of the natural formalism for discussing electron transport in ballistic conductors: the Landauer theory. After introducing the experimental techniques, which are used for studying ballistic point contacts in metals, the experimental observations for the conductance of atomic-scale contacts are presented. In order to obtain a full description in terms of the quantum modes for conduc…
Dynamic control of compact chip-scale contactless manipulation of particles for bioscience applications remains a challenging endeavor, which is restrained by the balance between trapping efficiency and scalable apparatus. Metasurfaces offer the implementation of feasible optical tweezers on a planar platform for shaping the exerted optical force by a microscale-integrated device. Here, we design and experimentally demonstrate a highly efficient silicon-based metalens for two-dimensional optical trapping in the near-infrared. Our metalens concept is based on the Pancharatnam-Berry phase, which…
The suite of highly confined polaritons supported by two-dimensional (2D) materials constitutes a versatile platform for nano-optics, offering the means to channel light on deep-subwavelength scales. Graphene, in particular, has attracted considerable interest due to its ability to support long-lived plasmons that can be actively tuned via electrical gating. While the excellent optoelectronic properties of graphene are widely exploited in plasmonics, its mechanical flexibility remains relatively underexplored in the same context. Here, we present a semi-analytical formalism to describe plasmon…
