Accurate Gap Determination in Monolayer and Bilayer Graphene/h-BN Moire Superlattices

TL;DR

This paper uses tunneling spectroscopy to accurately measure and analyze energy gaps in monolayer and bilayer graphene/h-BN moire superlattices, revealing gap behaviors and topological edge states influenced by external fields and twist angles.

Contribution

It provides precise measurements of energy gaps in graphene/h-BN moire superlattices and uncovers topological edge states in bilayer graphene under external electric fields.

Findings

Gaps up to ~17 meV in monolayer graphene at near perfect alignment.

Gaps occur only at charge neutrality in bilayer graphene and can be tuned by electric fields.

Evidence of topologically non-trivial edge states in bilayer graphene.

Abstract

High mobility single and few-layer graphene sheets are in many ways attractive as nanoelectronic circuit hosts but lack energy gaps, which are essential to the operation of field-effect transistors. One of the methods used to create gaps in the spectrum of graphene systems is to form long period moire patterns by aligning the graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) substrate lattices. Here, we use planar tunneling devices with thin h-BN barriers to obtain direct and accurate tunneling spectroscopy measurements of the energy gaps in single- and bi-layer graphene-h-BN superlattice structures at charge neutrality (first Dirac point) and at integer moire band occupancies (second Dirac point, SDP) as a function of external electric and magnetic fields and the interface twist angle. In single-layer graphene we find, in agreement with previous work, that gaps are formed at neutrality and at the hole-doped SDP, but not at the electron-doped SDP. Both primary and secondary gaps can be determined accurately by extrapolating Landau fan patterns to zero magnetic field and are as large as $\simeq$ 17 meV for devices in near perfect alignment. For bilayer graphene, we find that gaps occur only at charge neutrality where they can be modified by an external electric field. Tunneling signatures of in-gap states around neutrality suggest the development of edge modes related to topologically non-trivial valley projected bands due to the combination of an external electric field and moire superlattice patterns.