Probing the Electronic Structure of Graphene Near and Far from the Fermi Level via Planar Tunneling Spectroscopy

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that graphene tunneling field effect transistors (TFETs) can effectively probe the electronic structure of graphene, including Landau levels and the Dirac point, in high magnetic fields up to 18 T, overcoming previous experimental limitations.

Contribution

The paper introduces a systematic analysis scheme for graphene planar tunneling spectroscopy using TFETs at high magnetic fields, providing new insights into the electronic states of 2D materials.

Findings

Identification of the Dirac point in high magnetic fields

Observation of Landau levels filling and emptying with gate voltage

Validation of TFET devices as a platform for high-field electronic structure studies

Abstract

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) has yielded significant insight on the electronic structure of graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) materials. STS directly measures a fundamental and directly calculable quantity: the single particle density of states (SPDOS). Due to experimental setup limitations, however, STS has been unable to explore 2D materials in ultra-high magnetic fields where electron-electron interactions can drastically change the SPDOS. Recent developments in the assembly of heterostructures composed of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride have enabled a device-based alternative to potentially overcome these roadblocks. Thus far, however, these nascent efforts are incomplete in analyzing and understanding tunneling spectra and have yet to explore graphene at high magnetic fields. Here we report an experiment at magnetic fields up to 18 T that uses graphene tunneling field effect transistors (TFETs) to establish a clear benchmark for measurement and analysis of graphene planar tunneling spectroscopy. We acquire gate tunable tunneling spectra of graphene and then use these data and electrostatic arguments to develop a systematic analysis scheme. This analysis reveals that TFET devices directly probe electronic structure features near and far from the Fermi level. In particular, our study yields identification of the Dirac point and numerous Landau levels as they fill and empty with charge via application of a gate voltage. Our work demonstrates that TFET devices are a viable platform for directly probing the electronic structure of graphene and other 2D materials in high magnetic fields, where novel electronic states emerge.