Electron-optics using negative refraction in two-dimensional inverted-band $pn$ junctions

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of inverted-band $pn$ junctions in two-dimensional materials for electron optics, demonstrating negative refraction and designing components like lenses and polarizers with robustness to disorder.

Contribution

It develops a scattering matrix theory for inverted-band $pn$ junctions and proposes novel electron optic devices beyond graphene-based systems.

Findings

Negative refraction occurs at inverted-band $pn$ interfaces.

Designs for electron lenses, polarizers, and mirrors are proposed.

Robustness of devices to disorder and temperature is demonstrated.

Abstract

Electron optics deals with condensed matter platforms for manipulating and guiding electron beams with high efficiency and robustness. Common devices rely on the spatial confinement of the electrons into one-dimensional channels. Recently, there is growing interest in electron optics applications in two dimensions, which heretofore are almost exclusively based on graphene devices. In this work, we study band-inverted systems resulting from particle-hole hybridization and demonstrate their potential for electron optics applications. We develop the theory of interface scattering in an inverted-band $pn$ junction using a scattering matrix formalism and observe negative refraction conditions as well as transmission filtering akin to graphene's Klein tunneling but at finite angles. Based on these findings, we provide a comprehensive protocol for constructing electron optic components, such as focusing and bifurcating lenses, polarizers, and mirrors. We numerically test the robustness of our designs to disorder and finite temperatures, and motivate the feasibility of experimental realization. Our work opens avenues for electron optics in two dimensions beyond graphene-based devices, where a plethora of inverted-band materials in contemporary experiments can be harnessed.