Strain-induced pseudo-magnetic field for novel graphene electronics

TL;DR

This paper explores how specific strain geometries in graphene can generate uniform pseudo-magnetic fields of about 10 Tesla, enabling new nano-electronic and valleytronic applications through quantum transport simulations.

Contribution

It demonstrates the practical potential of strain-induced pseudo-magnetic fields in graphene for electronics and valleytronics, including transport gap formation and valley polarization.

Findings

Elastic backscattering creates transport gaps of ~100meV.

Real magnetic fields can induce valley polarization.

Strain can produce pseudo-magnetic fields of ~10T.

Abstract

Particular strain geometry in graphene could leads to a uniform pseudo-magnetic field of order 10T and might open up interesting applications in graphene nano-electronics. Through quantum transport calculations of realistic strained graphene flakes of sizes of 100nm, we examine possible means of exploiting this effect for practical electronics and valleytronics devices. First, we found that elastic backscattering at rough edges leads to the formation of well defined transport gaps of order 100meV under moderate maximum strain of 10%. Second, the application of a real magnetic field induced a separation, in space and energy, of the states arising from different valleys, leading to a way of inducing bulk valley polarization which is insensitive to short range scattering.