Transport properties of graphene in the high-current limit

TL;DR

This paper investigates the high-current transport behavior of graphene, revealing incomplete current saturation due to the interplay of impurity scattering and optical phonons, supported by experimental data and Boltzmann equation modeling.

Contribution

It provides a detailed experimental and theoretical analysis of high-current transport in graphene, highlighting the incomplete saturation caused by competing scattering mechanisms.

Findings

Current tends to saturate but does not fully saturate in graphene.

The saturation behavior is influenced by impurity scattering and optical phonons.

Modeling with the Boltzmann equation aligns with experimental observations.

Abstract

We present a detailed study of the high-current transport properties of graphene devices patterned in a four-point configuration. The current tends to saturate as the voltage across graphene is increased but never reaches the complete saturation as in metallic nanotubes. Measurements are compared to a model based on the Boltzmann equation, which includes electron scattering processes due to charged and neutral impurities, and graphene optical-phonons. The saturation is incomplete because of the competition between disorder and optical-phonon scattering.