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Tunneling in ABC trilayer graphene superlattice

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Abstract

We study the transport properties of Dirac fermions in ABC trilayer graphene (ABC-TLG) superlattices. More specifically, we analyze the impact of varying the physical parameters-the number of cells, barrier/well width, and barrier heights-on electron tunneling in the ABC-TLG. In the initial stage, we solved the eigenvalue equation to determine the energy spectrum solutions for the ABC-TLG superlattices. Subsequently, we applied boundary conditions to the eigenspinors and employed the transfer matrix method to calculate transmission probabilities and conductance. For the two-band model, we identified the presence of Klein tunneling, with a notable decrease as the number of cells increased. The introduction of interlayer bias opened a gap as the number of cells increased, accompanied by an asymmetry in scattered transmission. Increasing the barrier/well width and the number of cells resulted in an amplified number of gaps and oscillations in both two-band and six-band cases. We observed a corresponding decrease in conductance as the number of cells increased, coinciding with the occurrence of a gap region. Our study demonstrates that manipulating parameters such as the number of cells, the width of the barrier/well, and the barrier heights provides a means of controlling electron tunneling and the occurrence of gaps in ABC-TLG. Specifically, the interplay between interlayer bias and the number of cells is identified as a crucial factor influencing gap formation and transmission asymmetry.

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Data Availability Statement

This manuscript has no associated data or the data will not be deposited. [Authors’ comment: The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Chouaïb Doukkali University, PO Box 20, 24000, El Jadida, Morocco

    Mouhamadou Hassane Saley, Jaouad El-hassouny, Abderrahim El Mouhafid & Ahmed Jellal

  2. Canadian Quantum Research Center, 204-3002 32 Ave, Vernon, BC, V1T 2L7, Canada

    Ahmed Jellal

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Saley, M.H., El-hassouny, J., El Mouhafid, A. et al. Tunneling in ABC trilayer graphene superlattice. Appl. Phys. A 130, 347 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-024-07510-x

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