Effect of a gap opening on the conductance of graphene superlattices

TL;DR

This paper investigates how opening an energy gap affects the electronic conductance of graphene superlattices, revealing conditions for maximum conductance and near-perfect transmission.

Contribution

It introduces a transfer-matrix approach to analyze the impact of a tunable gap on graphene superlattice conductance, highlighting critical gap values for optimal transmission.

Findings

Transmission probability approaches unity at a critical gap value

Maximum conductance occurs near the critical gap

Conductance behavior is strongly influenced by the gap size

Abstract

The electronic transmission and conductance of a gapped graphene superlattice were calculated by means of the transfer-matrix method. The system that we study consists of a sequence of electron-doped graphene as wells and hole-doped graphene as barriers. We show that the transmission probability approaches unity at some critical value of the gap. We also find that there is a domain around the critical gap value for which the conductance of the system attains its maximum value.