arXiv subjects

Jia-Bin Qiao

Publications and source records attributed to Jia-Bin Qiao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Robust two-dimensional ice on graphene built from finite-length water molecular chains

Interfacial ice on graphene has attracted much attention because it is a model system to study two-dimensional (2D) ice structures on chemically inert substrates. While water-graphene interaction was usually assumed to be negligible, the structures of the 2D ice are believed to be not appreciably perturbed by the graphene substrate. Here we report atomic-resolved characterizations of an exotic 2D ice structure on graphene built from water molecular chains with finite lengths. Our experiments demonstrated that the water molecular chains are exactly orientated along zigzag directions of the graphene substrate, which evidences an anomalously strong interlayer interaction between the 2D ice and the graphene substrate. Moreover, the length of the water molecular chains closely links to the number of graphene layers, indicating layer-number-dependent water-graphene interfacial interactions. Our work highlights the important role of the 2D ice structures on the water-graphene interfacial interactions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Scanning tunneling microscope characterizations of a circular graphene resonator realized with p-p junctions

Using low-temperature high-magnetic-field scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS), we systematically study a graphene quantum dot (GQD) defined by a circular graphene p-p junction. Inside the GQD, we observe a series of quasi-bound states arising from whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) confinement of the circular junction and directly visualize these quasi-bound states down to atomic dimensions. By applying a strong magnetic field, a large jump in energy of the quasi-bound states, which is about one-half the energy spacing between the quasi-bound states, is observed. Such a behavior results from turning on a π Berry phase of massless Dirac fermions in graphene by a magnetic field. Moreover, our experiment demonstrates that a quasi-bound state splits into two peaks with an energy separation of about 26 meV when the Fermi level crosses the quasi-bound state, indicating that there are strong electron-electron interactions in the GQD.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Relativistic Artificial Molecules Realized by Two Coupled Graphene Quantum Dots

Coupled quantum dots (QDs), usually referred to as artificial molecules, are important not only in exploring fundamental physics of coupled quantum objects, but also in realizing advanced QD devices. However, previous studies have been limited to artificial molecules with nonrelativistic fermions. Here, we show that relativistic artificial molecules can be realized when two circular graphene QDs are coupled to each other. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS), we observe the formation of bonding and antibonding states of the relativistic artificial molecule and directly visualize these states of the two coupled graphene QDs. The formation of the relativistic molecular states strongly alters distributions of massless Dirac fermions confined in the graphene QDs. Because of the relativistic nature of the molecular states, our experiment demonstrates that the degeneracy of different angular-momentum states in the relativistic artificial molecule can be further lifted by external magnetic fields. Then, both the bonding and antibonding states are split into two peaks.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Magnetism near half-filling of a van Hove singularity in twisted graphene bilayer

Twisted graphene bilayers (TGBs) have low-energy van Hove singularities (VHSs) that are strongly localized around AA-stacked regions of the moire pattern. Therefore, they exhibit novel many-body electronic states, such as Mott-like insulator and unconventional superconductivity. Unfortunately, these strongly correlated states were only observed in magic angle TGBs with the twist angle theta~1.1°, requiring a precisely tuned structure. Is it possible to realize exotic quantum phases in the TGBs not limited at the magic angle? Here we studied electronic properties of a TGB with theta~1.64° and demonstrated that a VHS splits into two spin-polarized states flanking the Fermi energy when the VHS is close to the Fermi level. Such a result indicates that localized magnetic moments emerge in the AA-stacked regions of the TGB. Since the low-energy VHSs are quite easy to be reached in slightly TGBs, our result therefore provides a facile direction to realize novel quantum phases in graphene system.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Spatial Confinement, Magnetic Localization and Their Interactions on Massless Dirac Fermions

It is of keen interest to researchers understanding different approaches to confine massless Dirac fermions in graphene, which is also a central problem in making electronic devices based on graphene. Here, we studied spatial confinement, magnetic localization and their interactions on massless Dirac fermions in an angled graphene wedge formed by two linear graphene p-n boundaries with an angle 34. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we visualized quasibound states temporarily confined in the studied graphene wedge. Large perpendicular magnetic fields condensed the massless Dirac fermions in the graphene wedge into Landau levels (LLs). The spatial confinement of the wedge affects the Landau quantization, which enables us to experimentally measure the spatial extent of the wave functions of the LLs. The magnetic fields induce a sudden and large increase in energy of the quasibound states because of a pi Berry phase jump of the massless Dirac fermions in graphene. Such a behavior is the hallmark of the Klein tunneling in graphene. Our experiment demonstrated that the angled wedge is a unique system with the critical magnetic fields for the pi Berry phase jump depending on distance from summit of the wedge.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Heterostrain engineering on twisted graphene bilayer around the first magic angle

Very recently, twisted graphene bilayer (TGB) around the first magic angle 1.1° has attracted much attention for the realization of exotic quantum states, such as correlated insulator behavior and unconventional superconductivity. Here we elaborately studied a series of TGBs around the first magic angle engineered by heterostrain, where each layer is strained independently. Our experiment indicated that a moderate heterostrain enables the structural evolution from the small-angle TGB ( ~ 1.5°) to the strained magic-angle TGB (θ ~ 1.1°), exhibiting the characteristic low-energy flat bands. The heterostrain can even drive the system into highly strained tiny-angle TGBs (θ << 1.1°) with large deformed tetragonal superlattices, where a unique network of topological helical edge states emerges. Furthermore, the predicted domain wall modes, which are strongly localized and result in hexagon-triangle-mixed frustrated lattice derived from Kagome lattice, are observed in the strained tiny-angle TGBs.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Two-dimensional spinodal interface in one-step grown graphene-molybdenum carbide heterostructures

Heterostructures made by stacking different materials on top of each other are expected to exhibit unusual properties and new phenomena. Interface of the heterostructures plays a vital role in determining their properties. Here, we report the observation of a two-dimensional (2D) spinodal interface in graphene-molybdenum carbide (α-Mo2C) heterostructures, which arises from spinodal decomposition occurring at the heterointerface, by using scanning tunneling microscopy. Our experiment demonstrates that the 2D spinodal interface modulates graphene into whispering gallery resonant networks filled with quasi-bound states of massless Dirac fermions. Moreover, below the superconducting transition temperature of the underlying α-Mo2C, the 2D spinodal interface behaves as disorders, resulting in the breakdown of the proximity-induced superconductivity in graphene. Our result sheds new light on tuning properties of heterostructures based on interface engineering.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

High-resolution Tunneling Spectroscopy of ABA-stacked Trilayer Graphene

ABA-stacked trilayer graphene (TLG), the simplest system consisting of both massless and massive Dirac fermions, is expected to exhibit many interesting broken-symmetry quantum Hall states and interaction-induced phenomena. However, difficulties in microscopically identifying the stacking order of the TLG and limited spectroscopic resolution have stymied experimental probes of these interesting states and phenomena in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies. Here we studied the detailed features of the electronic structure in the ABA TLG by using high-resolution STM measurements. Landau-level (LL) crossings of the massless and massive Dirac fermions, and effective mass renormalization of the massive Dirac fermions were observed, indicating strong electron-electron interactions in the ABA TLG. Most unexpectedly, we observed unconventional splittings of the lowest LLs for both the massless and massive Dirac fermions in high perpendicular magnetic fields. These splittings of the LLs, which are beyond the description of tight-binding calculations, reveal unexplored broken-symmetry quantum Hall states in the ABA TLG induced by many-body effects.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Segregation growth and self-organization of ordered S atomic superlattices confined at interface between graphene and substrates

Ordered atomic-scale superlattices on surface hold great interest both for basic science and for potential applications in advanced technology. However, controlled fabrication of superlattices down to atomic scale has proven exceptionally challenging. Here we demonstrate the segregation-growth and self-organization of ordered S atomic superlattices confined at the interface between graphene and S-rich Cu substrates. Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) studies show that, by finely controlling the growth temperature, we obtain well-ordered S (sub)nanometer-cluster superlattice and monoatomic superlattices with various periods at the interface. These atomic superlattices are stable in atmospheric environment and robust even after high-temperature annealing (~ 350 oC). Our experiments demonstrate that the S monoatomic superlattice can drive graphene into the electronic Kekulé distortion phase when the period of the ordered S adatoms is commensurate with graphene lattice. Our results not only open a road to realize atomic-scale superlattices at interfaces, but also provide a new route to realize exotic electronic states in graphene.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Magnetic-field-controlled negative differential conductance in graphene npn junction resonators

Negative differential conductance (NDC), characterized by the decreasing current with increasing voltage, has attracted continuous attention for its various novel applications. The NDC typically exists in a certain range of bias voltages for a selected system and controlling the regions of NDC in curves of current versus voltage (I-V) is experimentally challenging. Here, we demonstrate an unusual magnetic-field-controlled NDC in graphene npn junction resonators. The magnetic field not only can switch on and off the NDC, but also can continuously tune the regions of the NDC in the I-V curves. In the graphene npn junction resonators, magnetic fields generate sharp and pronounced Landau-level peaks with the help of the Klein tunneling of massless Dirac fermions. A tip of scanning tunneling microscope induces a relatively shift of the Landau levels in graphene beneath the tip. Tunneling between the misaligned Landau levels results in the magnetic-field-controlled NDC that may have potential applications for future graphene-based technology.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of twisted trilayer graphene

Twist, as a simple and unique degree of freedom, could lead to enormous novel quantum phenomena in bilayer graphene. A small rotation angle introduces low-energy van Hove singularities (VHSs) approaching the Fermi level, which result in unusual correlated states in the bilayer graphene. It is reasonable to expect that the twist could also affect the electronic properties of few-layer graphene dramatically. However, such an issue has remained experimentally elusive. Here, by using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), we systematically studied a twisted trilayer graphene (TTG) with two different small twist angles between adjacent layers. Two sets of VHSs originating from the two twist angles were observed in the TTG, indicating that the TTG could be simply regarded as a combination of two different twisted bilayer graphene. By using high-resolution STS, we observed split of the VHSs and directly imaged spatial symmetry breaking of electronic states around the VHSs. These results suggest that electron-electron interactions play an important role in affecting the electronic properties of graphene systems with low-energy VHSs.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

The tunnelling spectra of quasi-free-standing graphene monolayer

With considering the great success of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) studies of graphene in the past few years, it is quite surprising to notice that there is still a fundamental contradiction about the reported tunnelling spectra of quasi-free-standing graphene monolayer. Many groups observed V-shape spectra with linearly vanishing density-of-state (DOS) at the Dirac point, whereas, the others reported spectra with a gap of 60 meV pinned to the Fermi level in the quasi-free-standing graphene monolayer. Here we systematically studied the two contradicted tunnelling spectra of the quasi-free-standing graphene monolayer on several different substrates and provided a consistent interpretation about the result. The gap in the spectra arises from the out-of-plane phonons in graphene, which mix the Dirac electrons at the Brillouin zone corners with the nearly free-electron states at the zone center. Our experiment indicated that interactions with substrates could effectively suppress effects of the out-of-plane phonons in graphene and enable us to detect only the DOS of the Dirac electrons in the spectra. We also show that it is possible to switch on and off the out-of-plane phonons of graphene at the nanoscale, i.e., the tunnelling spectra show switching between the two distinct features, through voltage pulses applied to the STM tip.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Generating nanoscale and atomically-sharp p-n junctions in graphene via monolayer-vacancy-island engineering of Cu surface

Creation of high quality p-n junctions in graphene monolayer is vital in studying many exotic phenomena of massless Dirac fermions. However, even with the fast progress of graphene technology for more than ten years, it remains conspicuously difficult to generate nanoscale and atomically-sharp p-n junctions in graphene. Here, we employ monolayer-vacancy-island engineering of Cu surface to realize nanoscale p-n junctions with atomically-sharp boundaries in graphene monolayer. The variation of graphene-Cu separations around the edges of the Cu monolayer-vacancy-island affects the positions of the Dirac point in graphene, which consequently lead to atomically-sharp p-n junctions with the height as high as 660 meV in graphene. The generated sharp p-n junctions isolate the graphene above the Cu monolayer-vacancy-island as nanoscale graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in a continuous graphene sheet. Massless Dirac fermions are confined by the p-n junctions for a finite time to form quasi-bound states in the GQDs. By using scanning tunneling microscopy, we observe resonances of quasi-bound states in the GQDs with various sizes and directly visualize effects of geometries of the GQDs on the quantum interference patterns of the quasi-bound states, which allow us to test the quantum electron optics based on graphene in atomic scale.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

One-step synthesis of van der Waals heterostructures of graphene and 2D superconducting a-Mo2C

Assembling different two-dimensional (2D) crystals, covering a very broad range of properties, into van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures enables the unprecedented possibilities for combining the best of different ingredients in one objective material. So far, metallic, semiconducting, and insulating 2D crystals have been used successfully in making functional vdW heterostructures with properties by design. Here, we expand 2D superconducting crystals as a building block of the vdW hererostructures. A one-step growth of large-scale high-quality vdW heterostructures of graphene and 2D superconducting a-Mo2C by using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method is reported. The superconductivity and its 2D nature of the heterostructures are characterized by our scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements. This adds the 2D superconductivity, the most attractive property of condensed matter physics, to the vdW heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Bound States in Nanoscale Graphene Quantum Dots in a Continuous Graphene Sheet

Considerable efforts have been made to trap massless Dirac fermions in graphene monolayer, but only quasi-bound states are realized in continuous graphene sheets up to now. Here, we demonstrate the realization of bound states in nanoscale graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in a continuous graphene sheet. The GQDs are electronically isolated from the surrounding continuous graphene sheet by circular boundaries, which are generated by strong coupling between graphene and substrate. By using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we observe single-electron charging states of the GQDs, seen as Coulomb oscillations in the tunneling conductance. Evolution of single-electron tunneling of the GQDs between the Coulomb blockade regime and the Coulomb staircase regime is observed by tuning the STM tip-sample distances. Spatial maps of the local electronic densities reveal concentric rings inside the GQDs with each ring corresponding to a single Coulomb oscillation of the tunneling spectra. These results indicate explicitly that the electrons are completely trapped inside the nanoscale GQDs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Massless Dirac Fermions Trapping in a Quasi-one-dimensional npn Junction of a Continuous Graphene Monolayer

Massless Dirac fermions in graphene provide unprecedented opportunities to realize the Klein paradox, which is one of the most exotic and striking properties of relativistic particles. In the seminal theoretical work [Katsnelson et al., Nat. Phys. 2 620 (2006)], it was predicted that the massless Dirac fermions can pass through one-dimensional (1D) potential barriers unimpededly at normal incidence. Such a result seems to preclude confinement of the massless Dirac fermions in graphene by using 1D potential barriers. Here, we demonstrate, both experimentally and theoretically, that massless Dirac fermions can be trapped in quasi-1D npn junction of a continuous graphene monolayer. Because of highly anisotropic transmission of the massless Dirac fermions at n-p junction boundaries (the so-called Klein tunneling in graphene), charge carries incident at large oblique angles will be reflected from one edge of the junction with high probability and continue to bounce from the opposite edge. Consequently, these electrons are trapped for a finite time to form quasi-bound states in the quasi-1D npn junction. The quasi-bound states seen as pronounced resonances are probed and the quantum interference patterns arising from these states are directly visualized in our scanning tunneling microscope measurements.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Direct experimental evidence of pi magnetism of a single atomic vacancy in graphene

The pristine graphene is strongly diamagnetic. However, graphene with single carbon atom defects could exhibit paramagnetism with local magnetic moments ~ 1.5 per vacancy1-6. Theoretically, both the electrons and electrons of graphene contribute to the magnetic moment of the defects, and the pi magnetism is characterizing of two spin-split DOS (density-of-states) peaks close to the Dirac point1,6. Since its prediction, many experiments attempt to study this pi magnetism in graphene, whereas, only a notable resonance peak has been observed around the atomic defects6-9, leaving the pi magnetism experimentally so elusive. Here, we report direct experimental evidence of the pi magnetism by using scanning tunnelling microscope. We demonstrate that the localized state of the atomic defects is split into two DOS peaks with energy separations of several tens meV and the two spin-polarized states degenerate into a profound peak at positions with distance of ~ 1 nm away from the monovacancy. Strong magnetic fields further increase the energy separations of the two spin-polarized peaks and lead to a Zeeman-like splitting. The effective g-factors geff around the atomic defect is measured to be about 40. Such a giant enhancement of the g-factor is attributed to the strong spin polarization of electron density and large electron-electron interactions near the atomic vacancy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Creating and probing wide-bandgap nanoribbon-like structures in a continuous metallic graphene sheet

The light-like dispersion of graphene monolayer results in many novel electronic properties in it1, however, this gapless feature also limits the applications of graphene monolayer in digital electronics2. A rare working solution to generate a moderate bandgap in graphene monolayer is to cut it into one-dimensional (1D) nanometre-wide ribbons3-13. Here we show that a wide bandgap can be created in a unique 1D strained structure, i.e., graphene-nanoribbon-like (GNR-like) structure, of a continuous graphene sheet via strong interaction between graphene and the metal substrate, instead of cutting graphene monolayer. The GNR-like structures with width of only a few nanometers are observed in a continuous graphene sheet grown on Rh foil by using thermal strain engineering. Spatially-resolved scanning tunnelling spectroscopy revealed bandgap opening of a few hundreds meV in the GNR-like structure in an otherwise continuous metallic graphene sheet, directly demonstrating the realization of a metallic-semiconducting-metallic junction entirely in a graphene monolayer. We also show that it is possible to tailor the structure and electronic properties of the GNR-like structure by using scanning tunnelling microscope.

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