Valley filter and valve effect by strong electrostatic potentials in graphene

We report a theoretical study on the valley-filter and valley-valve effects in the monolayer graphene system by using electrostatic potentials, which are assumed to be electrically controllable. Based on a lattice model, we find that a single extremely strong electrostatic-potential barrier, with its strength exceeding the hopping energy of electrons, will significantly block one valley but allow the opposite valley flowing in the system, and this is dependent on the sign of the potential barrier as well as the flowing direction of electrons. In a valley-valve device composed of two independent potential barriers, the valley-valve efficiency can even amount to 100% that the electronic current is entirely prohibited or allowed by reversing the sign of one of potential barriers. The physics origin is attributed to the valley mixing effect in the strong potential barrier region. Our findings provide a simple electric way of controlling the valley transport in the monolayer graphene system.