Electron-Hole Interference in an Inverted-Band Semiconductor Bilayer

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a new mechanism for electron optics in two-dimensional materials using electron-hole hybridization in an InAs/GaSb quantum well, enabling coherent interference in a resonant cavity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to electron optics in 2D materials through band-inverted systems with hybridization, expanding the scope beyond previous 1D and graphene-based devices.

Findings

Coherent interference observed in a 2D Fabry-Pérot interferometer.

Electron-hole hybridization facilitates electron coherence in band-inverted systems.

Potential to surpass current electron optics device performance.

Abstract

Electron optics in the solid state promises new functionality in electronics through the possibility of realizing micrometer-sized interferometers, lenses, collimators and beam splitters that manipulate electrons instead of light. Until now, however, such functionality has been demonstrated exclusively in one-dimensional devices, such as in nanotubes, and in graphene-based devices operating with p-n junctions. In this work, we describe a novel mechanism for realizing electron optics in two dimensions. By studying a two-dimensional Fabry-P\'{e}rot interferometer based on a resonant cavity formed in an InAs/GaSb double quantum well using p-n junctions, we establish that electron-hole hybridization in band-inverted systems can facilitate coherent interference. With this discovery, we expand the field of electron optics to encompass materials that exhibit band inversion and hybridization, with the promise to surpass the performance of current state-of-the-art devices.