Coherent transport of armchair graphene constrictions

TL;DR

This paper investigates the quantum transport properties of armchair graphene nanoconstrictions, revealing how vacancies and localized edge states influence conductance and resonant tunneling, supported by a simplified model.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of conductance behavior in armchair graphene nanoconstrictions, highlighting the effects of vacancies and edge states, and proposes a simplified model to explain resonant tunneling.

Findings

Zero conductance valley at specific vacancy positions due to non-bonding states

Vacancies at certain positions do not affect conductance

Localized edge states significantly influence resonant tunneling

Abstract

The coherent transport properties of armchair graphene nanoconstrictions(GNC) are studied using tight-binding approach and Green's function method. We find a non-bonding state at zero Fermi energy which results in a zero conductance valley, when a single vacancy locates at $y=3n\pm 1$ of a perfect metallic armchair graphene nanoribbon(aGNR). However, the non-bonding state doesn't exist when a vacancy locates at y=3n, and the conductance behavior of lowest conducting channel will not be affected by the vacancy. For the square-shaped armchair GNC consisting of three metallic aGNR segments, resonant tunneling behavior is observed in the single channel energy region. We find that the presence of localized edge state locating at the zigzag boundary can affect the resonant tunneling severely. A simplified one dimensional model is put forward at last, which explains the resonant tunneling behavior of armchair GNC very well.