• 文献标题:   Zero-energy modes and gate-tunable gap in graphene on hexagonal boron nitride
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   KINDERMANN M, UCHOA B, MILLER DL
  • 作者关键词:  
  • 出版物名称:   PHYSICAL REVIEW B
  • ISSN:   1098-0121
  • 通讯作者地址:   Georgia Inst Technol
  • 被引频次:   99
  • DOI:   10.1103/PhysRevB.86.115415
  • 出版年:   2012

▎ 摘  要

In this article, we derive an effective theory of graphene on a hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) substrate. We show that the h-BN substrate generically opens a spectral gap in graphene despite the lattice mismatch. The origin of that gap is particularly intuitive in the regime of strong coupling between graphene and its substrate, when the low-energy physics is determined by the topology of a network of zero-energy modes. For twisted graphene bilayers, where inversion symmetry is present, this network percolates through the system and the spectrum is gapless. The breaking of that symmetry by h-BN causes the zero-energy modes to close into rings. The eigenstates of these rings hybridize into flat bands with gaps in between. The size of this band gap can be tuned by a gate voltage and it can reach the order of magnitude needed to confine electrons at room temperature.