Graphene plasmons confine incident terahertz fields far below the diffraction limit and, when hosted by a gate-defined Fabry-Perot cavity, they enable electrically tunable, frequency-selective photodetectors. In a magnetic field, these plasmons hybridize with the cyclotron motion to form magnetoplasmons, offering a platform for fundamental studies and for nonreciprocal, spectrally selective, and ultrasensitive terahertz photonics. However, implementing magnetoplasmon-assisted resonant transistors at terahertz frequencies has remained challenging so far. Here, we extend the resonant Dyakonov-Shur graphene TeraFET framework into the magnetoplasmonic regime and use gate-dependent, on-chip terahertz photocurrent spectroscopy combined with a perpendicular magnetic field to resolve and probe the evolution of resonant magnetoplasmons in antenna-coupled monolayer and bilayer graphene TeraFETs. In monolayer graphene, the dispersion reflects the Dirac nature of the carriers, exhibiting a nonmonotonic density dependence due to the interplay of plasma resonance and cyclotron motion, with an inflection point at maximal plasmon-cyclotron coupling. In contrast, in bilayer graphene, we recover and map a magnetoplasmon dispersion consistent with the conventional Schr & ouml;dinger-type picture. These results establish graphene TeraFET devices as a robust on-chip platform for resonant magnetoplasmonics at terahertz frequencies, opening avenues toward magnetically programmable, frequency-selective terahertz photodetectors.
We study the impact of BN's phonons on the electrical resistivity of hBN-encapsulated graphene. While encapsulation yields high-mobility devices, the surrounding BN itself introduces remote scattering from polar optical phonons, whose role in standard resistivity measurements remains unclear. We combine high-quality transport experiments with ab initio calculations including a proper treatment of dynamically screened remote interactions. We demonstrate that hBN's out-of-plane phonons strongly influence resistivity between 150 K and room temperature, whereas higher-energy LO modes and intrinsic graphene phonons alone cannot explain the observed trends. The coupling between electrons and the BN's phonons becomes more pronounced at low carrier densities due to reduced screening. Our findings establish that remote phonon scattering fundamentally limits transport in encapsulated graphene, solving a longstanding debate.
By using the self-consistent Born approximation, we investigate topological phase transitions in double HgTe quantum wells (QWs) induced by the short-range impurities. Following the evolution of the density of states and the spectral function, we demonstrate multiple closings and openings of the band gap with the increase of the disorder strength due to the mutual inversions between the first and second electronlike and holelike subbands. We show that starting from a band insulator in the clean limit, under the influence of disorder, the double HgTe QW undergoes a transition, first into a semimetal state similar to "bilayer graphene" and then into a high-order topological insulator state with a double band inversion. We find out that all disorder-induced transitions can be fully characterized by introducing a non-Hermitian quasiparticle Hamiltonian encoding the band structure renormalization and quasiparticle decay.
Among the different methods to grow graphene on silicon carbide (SiC), the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in a hydrogen atmosphere has several interesting features arising from the use of this gas. Despite its versatility and its ability to grow graphene with a quality allowing applications in electrical metrology, this synthesis method remains largely understudied. This work is specifically dedicated to this growth technique in conditions leading to the epitaxy of graphene on a buffer layer. We first show that hydrogen has several effects during the cooling down, possibly leading to hydrogen intercalation beneath graphene, or even to graphene etching. Then, we use a specific cooling under argon, allowing the suppression of hydrogen effects, to follow the successive phases of the graphene formation, from the nucleation of islands and ribbons to their coalescence on SiC. Finally, we demonstrate that graphene growth is, in our growth conditions, self-limited to a unique monolayer.
Overcoming the limitations of the von Neumann architecture requires new computational paradigms capable of solving complex problems efficiently. Quantum and neuromorphic computing rely on unconventional materials and device functionalities, yet achieving resilience to imperfections and reliable operation remains a major challenge. This has motivated growing interest in topological materials that provide robust and low-power operation while preserving coherence. However, integrating coherent topological transport with non-volatile memory functionality in a single reconfigurable device has remained challenging. In this work, we demonstrate a topological field-effect memristor based on inverted InAs/GaInSb/InAs trilayer quantum wells operating in the quantum spin Hall regime. The intrinsic floating-gate behavior allows one to reconfigure the transistor functionality into memristive functionality with broad electric-field tunability. Unlike other memristor implementations, one resistance state is governed entirely by dissipationless, coherent transport through helical edge channels, while the other arises from incoherent bulk conduction. By combining electrically tunable coherent and incoherent transport with memory functionality, our device realizes a prototypical topological electronic element that integrates coherent transport and adaptive memristive behavior, paving the way for hybrid quantum-neuromorphic architectures.
The quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE), a hallmark of topological insulators, enables dissipationless, spin-polarized edge transport and has been predicted in various two-dimensional materials. However, challenges such as limited scalability, low-temperature operation, and the lack of robust electronic transport have hindered practical implementations. Here, we demonstrate the QSHE in an InAs/GaInSb/InAs trilayer quantum well structure operating at elevated temperatures. This platform meets key criteria for device integration, including scalability, reproducibility, and tunability via electric field. When the Fermi level is positioned within the energy gap, we observe quantized resistance values independent of device length and in both local and nonlocal measurement configurations, confirming the QSHE. Helical edge transport remains stable up to T = 60 kelvin, with further potential for higher-temperature operation. Our findings establish the InAs/GaInSb system as a promising candidate for integration into next-generation devices harnessing topological functionalities, advancing the development of topological electronics.
We report on the coexistence of both normal and topological insulating phases in InAs/GaSb bilayer quantum well induced by the built-in electric field tuned optically and electrically. The emergence of topological and normal insulating phases is assessed based on the evolution of the charge carrier densities, the resistivity dependence of the gap via in-plane magnetic fields and the thermal activation of carriers. For the Hall bar device tuned optically, we observe the fingerprints associated with the presence of only the topological insulating phase. For another Hall bar processed identically but with an additional top gate, the coexistence of normal and topological insulating phases is found by electrical tuning. Our finding paves the way for utilizing a new electro-optical tuning scheme to manipulate InAs/GaSb bilayer quantum wells to obtain trivial-topological insulating interfaces in the bulk rather than at the physical edge of the device.
We present a multiprobe transport analysis that effectively separates bulk and edge currents in large Hall bar devices with standard geometries. Applied to transport measurements on all possible four-probe configurations of six-probe Hall-bar devices made of inverted three-layer InAs/(Ga, In)Sb quantum wells (QWs), our analysis not only reveals the presence of dissipative edge currents in the topological gap, but also allows the temperature dependence of bulk and edge conductivity to be evaluated separately. The temperature dependence of the edge conductivity for Hall-bar channels from 10 to 70 mu m in the range of 1.5 to 45 K is consistent with the theoretical expectation of weakly interacting helical edge electrons with backscattering due to localized magnetic moments of charge impurities. We argue that these charge impurities are naturally associated with intrinsic Ga-antisite defects, which act as double acceptors in InAs/(Ga,In)Sb-based QWs.
In a 2D electron system (2DES) the breaking of the inversion, time-reversal and bulk crystal-field symmetries is interlaced with the effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) triggering exotic quantum phenomena. Here, epitaxial engineering is used to design and realize a 2DES characterized simultaneously by ferromagnetic order, large Rashba SOC and hexagonal band warping at the (111) interfaces between LaAlO3, EuTiO3, and SrTiO3 insulators. The 2DES displays anomalous quantum corrections to the magneto-conductance driven by the time-reversal-symmetry breaking occurring below the magnetic transition temperature. The results are explained by the emergence of a non-trivial Berry phase and competing weak anti-localization/weak localization back-scattering of Dirac-like fermions, mimicking the phenomenology of gapped topological insulators. These findings open perspectives for the engineering of novel spin-polarized functional 2DES holding promises in spin-orbitronics and topological electronics.
We report on transport measurements in monolayer MoS2devices, close to the bottom of the conduction band edge. These devices were annealedin situbefore electrical measurements. This allows us to obtain good ohmic contacts at low temperatures, and to measure precisely the conductivity and mobility via four-probe measurements. The measured effective mobility up toμeff= 180 cm2V-1s-1is among the largest obtained in CVD-grown MoS2monolayer devices. These measurements show that electronic transport is of the insulating type forσ≤ 1.4e2/handn≤ 1.7 × 1012cm-2, and a crossover to a metallic regime is observed above those values. In the insulating regime, thermally activated transport dominates at high temperature (T> 120 K). At lower temperatures, conductivity is driven by Efros-Schklovkii variable range hopping in all measured devices, with a universal and constant hopping prefactor, that is a clear indication that hopping is not phonon-mediated. At higher carrier density, and high temperature, the conductivity is well modeled by the Boltzmann equation for a non-interacting Fermi gas, taking into account both phonon and impurity scatterings. Finally, even if this apparent metal-insulator transition can be explained by phonon-related phenomena at high temperature, the possibility of a genuine 2D MIT cannot be ruled out, as we can observe a clear power-law diverging localization length close to the transition, and a one-parameter scaling can be realized.
We report on the emission of Terahertz radiation from Landau quantized Dirac electrons in HgTe/CdHgTe based quantum wells. We show that this cyclotron emission is continuously tunable with magnetic field from 500 GHz up to 2.5 THz. Moreover, given the relativistic nature of charge carriers, the cyclotron mass and therefore the emitted frequency are also tunable with the electron density. These results pave the way for the long-awaited Landau laser which could additionally be tunable by a gate voltage with a fixed magnetic field.
We report on the effects of visible light on the low temperature electronic properties of the spin-polarized two dimensional electron system (2DES) formed at the interfaces between LaAlO $$_{3}$$ , EuTiO $$_{3}$$ and (001) SrTiO $$_{3}$$ . A strong, persistent modulation of both longitudinal and transverse conductivity was obtained using light emitting diodes (LEDs) with emissions at different wavelengths in the visible spectrum range. In particular, Hall effect data show that visible light induces a non-volatile electron filling of bands with mainly 3d $$_{xz,yz}$$ character, and at the same time an enhancement of the anomalous Hall effect associated to the magnetic properties of the system. Accordingly, a suppression of the weak-anti localization corrections to the magneto-conductance is found, which correlates with an enhancement of the spin-polarization and of the ferromagnetic character of 2DES. The results establish the LED-induced photo-doping as a viable route for the control of the ground state properties of artificial spin-polarized oxide 2DES.
Graphene is a quantum spin Hall insulator, with a nontrivial topological gap induced by the spin-orbit coupling. Such splitting is weak $(\sim 45 \mu$ eV) in the absence of external magnetic field. However, due to rather long spin-relaxation time, graphene is an attractive candidate for applications in quantum technologies. When it is encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride, the coupling between graphene and the substrate compensates intrinsic spin-orbit coupling and decreases the nontrivial topological gap, which may lead to phase transition into a trivial band insulator state. In this work, we have measured experimentally the zero-field splittings in monolayer and bilayer graphene by the means of subterahertz photoconductivity-based electron spin resonance technique. The dependance in temperature of such splittings have been also studied in the 2-12K range. We observed a decrease of the spin splittings with increasing temperature. Such behavior might be understood from several physical mechanisms that could induce a temperature dependence of the spin-orbit coupling. These includes the difference in the expansion coefficients between the graphene and the boron nitride substrate or the metal contacts, the electronphonon interactions, and the presence of a magnetic order at low temperature.
Multi-orbital physics in quasi-two-dimensional electron gases (q2DEGs) triggers intriguing phenomena not observed in bulk materials, such as unconventional superconductivity and magnetism. Here, we investigate the mechanism of orbital selective switching of the spin-polarization in the oxide q2DEG formed at the (001) interface between the LaAlO3, EuTiO3 and SrTiO3 band insulators. By using density functional theory calculations, transport, magnetic and x-ray spectroscopy measurements, we find that the filling of titanium-bands with 3d(xz)/3d(yz) orbital character in the EuTiO3 layer and at the interface with SrTiO3 induces an antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic switching of the exchange interaction between Eu-4f(7) magnetic moments. The results explain the observation of the carrier density-dependent ferromagnetic correlations and anomalous Hall effect in this q2DEG, and demonstrate how combined theoretical and experimental approaches can lead to a deeper understanding of emerging electronic phases and serve as a guide for the materials design of advanced electronic applications.
A giant built-in electric field in the growth direction makes excitons in wide GaN/(Al, Ga)N quantum wells spatially indirect even in the absence of any external bias. Significant densities of indirect excitons can accumulate in electrostatic traps imprinted in the quantum well plane by a thin metal layer deposited on top of the heterostructure. By jointly measuring spatially resolved photoluminescence and photo-induced current, we demonstrate that exciton density in the trap can be controlled via an external electric bias, which is capable of altering the trap depth. Application of a negative bias deepens the trapping potential, but does not lead to any additional accumulation of excitons in the trap. This is due to exciton dissociation instigated by the lateral electric field at the electrode edges. The resulting carrier losses are detected as an increased photocurrent and reduced photoluminescence intensity. By contrast, application of a positive bias washes out the electrode-induced trapping potential. Thus, excitons get released from the trap and recover free propagation in the plane that we reveal by spatially resolved photoluminescence.
A giant built-in electric field in the growth direction makes excitons in wide GaN/(Al, Ga)N quantum wells spatially indirect even in the absence of any external bias. Significant densities of indirect excitons can accumulate in electrostatic traps imprinted in the quantum well plane by a thin metal layer deposited on top of the heterostructure. By jointly measuring spatially-resolved photoluminescence and photo-induced current, we demonstrate that exciton density in the trap can be controlled via an external electric bias, which is capable of altering the trap depth. Application of a negative bias deepens the trapping potential, but does not lead to any additional accumulation of excitons in the trap. This is due to exciton dissociation instigated by the lateral electric field at the electrode edges. The resulting carrier losses are detected as an increased photo-current and reduced photoluminescence intensity. By contrast, application of a positive bias washes out the electrode-induced trapping potential. Thus, excitons get released from the trap and recover free propagation in the plane that we reveal by spatially-resolved photoluminescence.
Interfacial inversion symmetry breaking gives rise to electronic properties that differ substantially from those of the bulk constituent materials. Here, we report on the realization of an artificial ferromagnetic quasi-two-dimensional electron gas (q2DEG) at the (111) interfaces between LaAlO3, EuTiO3, and SrTiO3 characterized by a reconstruction of the bulk quasioctahedral crystal field into a trigonal one. The q2DEG is created through a transfer of electrons to the EuTiO3 layers at the interface with LaAlO3, extending into the first layers of SrTiO3, as shown by an electron-energy-loss spectroscopy map of the titanium valence with atomic column resolution. Interestingly, polarized X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows that the Eu-4f and the Ti-3d magnetic moments order ferromagnetically and exhibit the same magnetic field dependence at low temperature. In addition, the q2DEG presents a sizable in -plane orbital moment even at low magnetic field (0.1 T) possibly related to Ti-3d electrons occupying bands with the main a1g orbital character. The results show an intriguing interplay between ferromagnetism, spin-orbit coupling, and trigonal crystal field splitting in the (111) LaAlO3/EuTiO3/SrTiO3 q2DEG.
Graphene is a quantum spin Hall insulator with a 45 mu eV-wide nontrivial topological gap induced by the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. Even though this zero-field spin splitting is weak, it makes graphene an attractive candidate for applications in quantum technologies, given the resulting long spin-relaxation time. On the other side, the staggered sublattice potential, resulting from the coupling of graphene with its boron nitride substrate, compensates intrinsic spin-orbit coupling and decreases the nontrivial topological gap, which may lead to the phase transition into trivial band insulator state. In this work, we present extensive experimental studies of the zero-field splittings in monolayer and bilayer graphene in a temperature range 2-12 K by means of subterahertz photoconductivity-based electron spin-resonance technique. Surprisingly, we observe a decrease of the spin splittings with increasing temperature. We discuss the origin of this phenomenon by considering possible physical mechanisms likely to induce a temperature dependence of the spin-orbit coupling. These include the difference in the expansion coefficients between the graphene and the boron nitride substrate or the metal contacts, the electron-phonon interactions, and the presence of a magnetic order at low temperature. Our experimental observation expands knowledge about the nontrivial topological gap in graphene.