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Published on: July 24, 2015
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Tunneling Plasmonics in Bilayer Graphene
Z Fei1, E G Iwinski1, G X Ni1,2
1†Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States.
Nano Letters
|July 30, 2015
Summary
Electron tunneling in bilayer graphene creates unique plasmonic effects. Researchers observed enhanced plasmon confinement and a tunable plasmon-off state, paving the way for new graphene plasmonic devices.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Graphene exhibits unique electronic and optical properties due to its 2D structure.
- Interlayer interactions in few-layer graphene significantly influence its properties.
- Plasmonics in low-dimensional materials offers potential for novel device applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate plasmonic effects arising from electron tunneling in bilayer graphene.
- To understand the role of interlayer coupling and stacking order on plasmon behavior.
- To explore the tunability of plasmonic properties in bilayer graphene via electrical gating.
Main Methods:
- Infrared nanoimaging to probe plasmonic responses.
- Experimental fabrication of single-, double-, and bilayer graphene structures.
- Theoretical modeling to interpret experimental observations and electronic states.
Main Results:
- Bilayer graphene exhibits plasmons with higher confinement due to interlayer electron tunneling.
- Plasmonic behavior in bilayer graphene is strongly dependent on stacking order (Bernal vs. random).
- A tunable plasmon-off state was achieved in bilayer graphene via gating, linked to a gapped insulating state.
Conclusions:
- Electron tunneling is crucial for understanding plasmonic effects in bilayer graphene.
- The observed plasmon tunability suggests potential for advanced plasmonic functionalities.
- This research opens avenues for novel device applications in graphene few-layers.
