Strain-induced conduction gap in vertical devices made of misoriented graphene layers

We investigate the effects of uniaxial strain on the transport properties of vertical devices made of two misoriented (or twisted) graphene layers, which partially overlap each other. We find that because of the different orientations of the two graphene lattices, their Dirac points can be displaced and separated in the k -space by the effects of strain. Hence, a finite conduction gap as large as a few hundred meV can be obtained in the device with a small strain of only a few percent. The dependence of this conduction gap on the strain magnitude, strain direction, channel orientation and twist angle are clarified and presented. On this basis, the strong modulation of conductance and significant improvement of Seebeck coefficient are shown. The suggested devices therefore may be very promising for improving applications of graphene, e.g., as transistors or strain and thermal sensors.

V Hung Nguyen, Huy-Viet Nguyen, J Saint-Martin and P Dollfus

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