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arXiv · 2103.08120

Accurate Measurement of the Gap of Graphene/hBN Moir\'e Superlattice through Photocurrent Spectroscopy

Tianyi Han·Jixiang Yang·Qihang Zhang·Lei Wang·Kenji Watanabe·Takashi Taniguchi·Paul L. McEuen·Long Ju
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Abstract

Monolayer graphene aligned with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) develops a gap at the charge neutrality point (CNP). This gap has previously been extensively studied by electrical transport through thermal activation measurements. Here, we report the determination of the gap size at the CNP of graphene/hBN superlattice through photocurrent spectroscopy study. We demonstrate two distinct measurement approaches to extract the gap size. A maximum of ~ 14 meV gap is observed for devices with a twist angle of less than 1 degree. This value is significantly smaller than that obtained from thermal activation measurements, yet larger than the theoretically predicted single-particle gap. Our results suggest that lattice relaxation and moderate electron-electron interaction effects may enhance the CNP gap in hBN/graphene superlattice.

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Tianyi Han, Jixiang Yang, Qihang Zhang, Lei Wang, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Paul L. McEuen, Long Ju. 2021-03-15. Accurate Measurement of the Gap of Graphene/hBN Moir\'e Superlattice through Photocurrent Spectroscopy. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.126.146402

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