Performance enhancement of armchair graphene nanoribbon resonant tunneling diode using V-shaped potential well

We study the electron transport in armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR) resonant tunneling diode (RTD) using square and V-shaped potential well profiles. We use non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism to analyze the transmission and I-V characteristics. Results show that an enhancement in the peak current (Ip ) can be obtained by reducing the well width (Ww ) or barrier width (Wb ). As Ww decreases, Ip shifts to a higher peak voltage (Vp ), while there is almost no change in Vp with decreasing Wb . It is gratifying to note that there is an enhancement in Ip by about 1.6 times for a V-shaped well over a square well. Furthermore, in the case of a V-shaped well, the negative differential resistance occurs in a shorter voltage range, which may beneficial for ultra-fast switching and high-frequency signal generation. Our work anticipates the suitability of graphene, having better design flexibility, to develop ideally 2D RTDs for use in ultra-dense nano-electronic circuits and systems.

THE EFFECT OF CRITICAL ELECTRIC FIELDS ON THE ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION OF BILAYER ARMCHAIR GRAPHENE NANORIBBONS

We employed tight-binding calculations and Green’s function formalism to investigate the effect of applied electric fields on the energy band and electronic properties of bilayer armchair graphene nanoribbons (BL-AGNRs). The results show that the perpendicular electric field has a strong impact on modifying and controlling the bandgap of BL-AGNRs. At the critical values of this electric field, distortions of energy dispersion in subbands and the formation of new electronic excitation channels occur strongly. These originate from low-lying energies near the Fermi level and move away from the zero-point with the increment of the electric field. Phase transitions and structural changes clearly happen in these materials. The influence of the parallel electric field is less important in changing the gap size, resulting in the absence of the critical voltage over a very wide range [–1.5 V; 1.5 V] for the semiconductor-insulator group. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note the powerful role of the parallel electric field in modifying the energy band and electronic distribution at each energy level. These results contribute to an overall picture of the physics model and electronic structure of BL-AGNRs under stimuli, which can be a pathway to real applications in the future, particularly for electronic devices.

Role Played by Edge-Defects in the Optical Properties of Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons

We explore the implementation of specific optical properties of armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) through edge-defect manipulation. This technique employs the tight-binding model in conjunction with the calculated absorption spectral function. Modification of the edge states gives rise to the diverse electronic structures with striking changes in the band gap and special flat bands at low energy. The optical-absorption spectra exhibit unique excitation peaks, and they strongly depend on the type and period of the edge extension. Remarkably, there exist the unusual transition channels associated with the flat bands for selected edge-modified systems. We discovered the special rule governing how the edge-defect influences the electronic and optical properties in AGNRs. Our theoretical prediction demonstrates an efficient way to manipulate the optical properties of AGNRs. This might be of importance in the search for suitable materials designed to have possible technology applications in nano-optical, plasmonic and optoelectronic devices.

Multiphoton intersubband transitions in an armchair graphene nanoribbon

We present an analytical approach to the problem of the interband transitions in an armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR), exposed to the time-periodic electric field of strong light wave, polarized parallel to the ribbon axis. The two-dimensional Dirac equation for the massless electron subject to the ribbon confinement is employed. In the resonant approximation the probability of the transitions between the valence and conduction size-quantized subbands are calculated in an explicit form. We trace the dependencies of the Rabi frequency for these transitions on the ribbon width and electric field strength for both the multiphoton-assisted and tunneling regimes relevant to the fast oscillating and practically constant electric field, respectively. Estimates of the expected experimental values for the typically employed AGNR and laser technique facilities show that the Rabi oscillations can be observed under laboratory conditions. The data, corresponding to the intersubband tunneling, makes the AGNR a 1D condensed matter analog, in which the quantum electrodynamic vacuum decay can be detected by the employment of the attainable electric fields.

Role Played by Edge-Defects in the Optical Properties of Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons

We explore the implementation of specific optical properties of armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) through edge-defect manipulation. This technique employs the tight-binding model in conjunction with the calculated absorption spectral function. Modification of the edge states gives rise to the diverse electronic structures with striking changes in the band gap and special flat bands at low energy. The optical-absorption spectra exhibit exotic excitation peaks and they strongly depend on the type and period of the edge extension. Remarkably, there exist the unusual transition channels associated with the flat bands for selected edge-modified systems. We discover the special rule governing how the edge-defect influences the electronic and optical properties in AGNRs. Our theoretical prediction demonstrates an efficient way to manipulate the optical properties of AGNRs. This might be of importance in the search for suitable materials designed to have possible technology applications in nano-optical, plasmonic and optoelectronic devices.