Abstract
This work presents a theoretical study of quantum charge transport through zigzag and armchair carbon nanotubes in the presence of electron–phonon interaction. By using a non-perturbative description of the electron–phonon coupling in Fock space, one reveals the occurrence of a transmission gap opening at half the optical A1(L) phonon energy, \(\hbar\omega_{0}/2\), above (below) the charge neutrality point associated with phonon emission (absorption). This mechanism, which is prevented at low bias voltages by Pauli blocking, develops when the system is driven out of equilibrium (high bias voltages). This yields an onset of current saturation of about 30 μA, which brings a completely novel perspective to understand electrical characteristics of nanotube-based devices.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
H. Kroto, J.R. Heath, S.C. O’Brien, R.F. Curl, R.F. Smalley, Nature (London) 318, 62 (1985)
S. Iijima, Nature 354, 56 (1991)
A.J. Heeger, S. Kivelson, J.R. Schrieffer, W.P. Su, Rev. Mod. Phys. 60, 781 (1988)
C.T. White, T.N. Todorov, Nature 393, 240 (1998)
J.W. Mintmire, C.T. White, Nature 394, 29 (1998)
J.W. Mintmire, B.I. Dunlap, C.T. White, Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 631 (1992)
R. Saito, M. Fujita, G. Dresselhaus, M.S. Dresselhaus, Phys. Rev. B 46, 1804 (1992)
K. Harigaya, M. Fujita, Phys. Rev. B 47, 16563 (1993)
A. Sedeki, L.G. Caron, C. Bourbonnais, Phys. Rev. B 62, 6975 (2000)
M.T. Figge, M. Mostovoy, J. Knoester, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 4572 (2001)
D. Connétable, G.M. Rignanese, J.C. Charlier, X. Blase, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 015503 (2005)
R. Saito, G. Dresselhaus, M.S. Dresselhaus, Physical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes (Imperial College Press, London, 1998)
A. Javey, J. Guo, M. Paulsson, Q. Wang, D. Mann, M. Lundstrom, H. Dai, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 106804 (2004)
J.Y. Park, S. Rosenblatt, Y. Yaish, V. Sazonova, H. Ustunel, S. Braig, T.A. Arias, P. Brouwer, P.L. McEuen, Nano Lett. 4, 517 (2004)
M. Bockrath, D.H. Cobden, A.G. Rinzler, R.E. Smalley, L. Balents, P.L. McEuen, Nature 397, 598 (1999)
F. Triozon, S. Roche, A. Rubio, D. Mayou, Phys. Rev. B 69, 121410 (2004)
S. Latil, S. Roche, D. Mayou, J.C. Charlier, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 256805 (2004)
J.C. Gómez-Navarro, P.J. De Pablo, J. Gomez-Herrero, B. Biel, F.J. Garcia-Vidal, A. Rubio, F. Flores, Nature Mater. 4, 534 (2005)
S. Latil, F. Triozon, S. Roche, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 126802 (2005)
Z. Yao, C.L. Kane, C. Dekker, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2941 (2000)
E. Pop, D. Mann, J. Cao, Q. Wang, K. Goodson, H. Dai, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 155505 (2005)
J. Appenzeller, J. Knoch, M. Radosavljević, Ph. Avouris, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 226802 (2006)
V. Perebeinos, J. Tersoff, P. Avouris, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 086802 (2005)
G. Pennington, N. Goldsman, Phys. Rev. B 68, 086802 (2005)
M. Lazzeri, S. Piscanec, F. Mauri, A.C. Ferrari, J. Robertson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 236802 (2005)
M. Georghe, R. Gutierrez, N. Ranjan, A. Pecchia, A. Di Carlo, G. Cuniberti, Europhys. Lett. 71, 438 (2005)
S. Roche, J. Jiang, F. Triozon, R. Saito, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 076803 (2005)
M.A. Kuroda, A. Cangellaris, J.P. Leburton, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 266803 (2005)
M. Lazzeri, F. Mauri, Phys. Rev. B 73, 165419 (2006)
X. Zhou, J.Y. Park, S. Huang, J. Liu, P.L. McEuen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 146805 (2005)
S. Piscanec, M. Lazzeri, F. Mauri, A.C. Ferrari, J. Robertson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 185503 (2004)
O. Dubay, G. Kresse, H. Kuzmany, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 235506 (2002)
L.E.F. Foa Torres, S. Roche, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 076804 (2006)
W.P. Su, J.R. Schrieffer, A.J. Heeger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 42, 1698 (1979)
W.P. Su, J.R. Schrieffer, A.J. Heeger, Phys. Rev. B 22, 2099 (1980)
G.D. Mahan, Phys. Rev. B 68, 125409 (2003)
H. Watanabe, T. Kawarabayashi, Y. Ono, J. Phys. Soc. Japan 74, 1240 (2005)
E.V. Anda, S.S. Makler, H.M. Pastawski, R.G. Barrera, Braz. J. Phys. 24, 330 (1994)
J. Bonča, S.A. Trugman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 2566 (1995)
L.E.F. Foa Torres, H.M. Pastawski, S.S. Makler, Phys. Rev. B 64, 193304 (2001)
N. Mingo, K. Makoshi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3694 (2000)
H. Ness, A.J. Fisher, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 452 (1999)
E.G. Emberly, G. Kirczenow, Phys. Rev. B 61, 5740 (2000)
L.E.F. Foa Torres, Phys. Rev. B 72, 245339 (2005)
J.H. Shirley, Phys. Rev. 138, B979 (1965)
H. Sambe, Phys. Rev. A 7, 2203 (1973)
S. Kohler, J. Lehmann, P. Hänggi, Phys. Rep. 406, 379 (2005)
D.F. Martínez, J. Phys. A 36, 9827 (2003)
N. Mingo, L. Yang, J. Han, M.P. Anantram, Phys. Stat. Solidi B 226, 79 (2001)
A. Svizhenko, M.P. Anantram, Phys. Rev. B 72, 085430 (2005)
D. Porezag, T. Frauenheim, T. Köhler, G. Seifert, R. Kaschner, Phys. Rev. B 51, 12947 (1995)
J. Jiang, R. Saito, G. Samsonidze, S. Chou, A. Jorio, G. Dresselhaus, M. Dresselhaus, Phys. Rev. B 72, 235408 (2005)
From the point of view of momentum conservation, this process can be seen as an Umklapp process. Electrons and phonons not only interact among themselves (e–ph processes) but also with the periodic potential (lattice). Thus, momentum conservation is defined modulo a reciprocal lattice vector
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
PACS
73.63.Fg; 72.10.Di; 73.23.-b; 05.60.Gg
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Foa Torres, L., Roche, S. Electron–phonon induced conductance gaps in carbon nanotubes. Appl. Phys. A 86, 283–288 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-006-3760-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-006-3760-4