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Published on: November 21, 2019
Metalenses for Ballistic Electrons: Toward Room-Temperature Electron Optics
Ruihuang Zhao1, Ling Zhou1, Xin Tong1
1School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
None:
Quantum electron optics offers a promising route to transistors that manipulate ballistic electrons analogously to light. A key goal is a lens with full capabilities of focusing, imaging, and collimation, yet such a device has not been demonstrated in two-dimensional ballistic materials, limiting the realization of amplifiers for microscopic imaging and couplers or collimators in electrical circuits. Here, we theoretically realize a graphene metalens for ballistic electrons, implemented as a linear array of quantum dots. The design combines miniaturization, freedom from spherical aberration, subwavelength-resolution imaging, and near-perfect efficiency. Remarkably, the lens, compressed into a line, has a thickness far smaller than the room-temperature ballistic transport distance, enabling practical operation under ambient conditions. This work highlights emerging opportunities in quantum electron optics to create transistors capable of room-temperature operation.
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