Quantum imaging of current flow in graphene

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum imaging technique using atomic-sized sensors in diamond to non-invasively map current flow in graphene with high spatial resolution, revealing detailed current distributions and defects.

Contribution

It presents a novel quantum sensing method for high-resolution, non-invasive imaging of current flow in graphene and other 2D materials, surpassing traditional resistivity measurements.

Findings

Successfully imaged current flow in graphene structures.

Revealed spatial variations and defects at sub-micrometer scale.

Demonstrated sensitivity to currents as small as 1 μA.

Abstract

Since its first isolation in 2004, graphene has been found to host a plethora of unusual electronic transport phenomena, making it a fascinating system for fundamental studies in condensed-matter physics as well as offering tremendous opportunities for future electronic and sensing devices. However, to fully realise these goals a major challenge is the ability to non-invasively image charge currents in monolayer graphene structures and devices. Typically, electronic transport in graphene has been investigated via resistivity measurements, however, such measurements are generally blind to spatial information critical to observing and studying landmark transport phenomena such as electron guiding and focusing, topological currents and viscous electron backflow in real space, and in realistic imperfect devices. Here we bring quantum imaging to bear on the problem and demonstrate high-resolution imaging of current flow in graphene structures. Our method utilises an engineered array of near-surface, atomic-sized quantum sensors in diamond, to map the vector magnetic field and reconstruct the vector current density over graphene geometries of varying complexity, from mono-ribbons to junctions, with spatial resolution at the diffraction limit and a projected sensitivity to currents as small as 1 {\mu}A. The measured current maps reveal strong spatial variations corresponding to physical defects at the sub-{\mu}m scale. The demonstrated method opens up an important new avenue to investigate fundamental electronic and spin transport in graphene structures and devices, and more generally in emerging two-dimensional materials and thin film systems.