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Article
Flat band carrier confinement in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene
Ames Laboratory Accepted Manuscripts
  • Nikhil Tilak, Rutgers University
  • Xinyuan Lai, Rutgers University
  • Shuang Wu, Rutgers University
  • Zhenyuan Zhang, Rutgers University
  • Mingyu Xu, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • Raquel de Almeida Ribeiro, Iowa State University
  • Paul C. Canfield, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
  • Eva Y. Andrei, Rutgers University
Publication Date
7-7-2021
Department
Ames Laboratory; Physics and Astronomy
OSTI ID+
1806220
Report Number
IS-J 10550
DOI
10.1038/s41467-021-24480-3
Journal Title
Nature Communications
Abstract

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene has emerged as a powerful platform for studying strongly correlated electron physics, owing to its almost dispersionless low-energy bands and the ability to tune the band filling by electrostatic gating. Techniques to control the twist angle between graphene layers have led to rapid experimental progress but improving sample quality is essential for separating the delicate correlated electron physics from disorder effects. Owing to the 2D nature of the system and the relatively low carrier density, the samples are highly susceptible to small doping inhomogeneity which can drastically modify the local potential landscape. This potential disorder is distinct from the twist angle variation which has been studied elsewhere. Here, by using low temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy and planar tunneling junction measurements, we demonstrate that flat bands in twisted bilayer graphene can amplify small doping inhomogeneity that surprisingly leads to carrier confinement, which in graphene could previously only be realized in the presence of a strong magnetic field.

DOE Contract Number(s)
AC02-07CH11358
Language
en
Publisher
Iowa State University Digital Repository, Ames IA (United States)
Disciplines
Citation Information
Nikhil Tilak, Xinyuan Lai, Shuang Wu, Zhenyuan Zhang, et al.. "Flat band carrier confinement in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene" Vol. 12 (2021) p. 4180
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/paul_canfield/455/