An epitaxial graphene platform for zero-energy edge state nanoelectronics
Vladimir Prudkovskiy, Yiran Hu, Kaimin Zhang, Yue Hu, Peixuan Ji, Grant Nunn, Jian Zhao, Chenqian Shi, Antonio Tejeda, David Wander, Alessandro de Cecco, Clemens B. Winkelmann, Yuxuan Jiang, Tianhao Zhao, Katsunori Wakabayashi, Zhigang Jiang, Lei Ma, Claire Berger, Walt A. de Heer
Abstract
Graphene's original promise to succeed silicon faltered due to pervasive edge disorder in lithographically patterned deposited graphene and the lack of a new electronics paradigm. Here we demonstrate that the annealed edges in conventionally patterned graphene epitaxially grown on a silicon carbide substrate (epigraphene) are stabilized by the substrate and support a protected edge state. The edge state has a mean free path that is greater than 50 microns, 5000 times greater than the bulk states and involves a theoretically unexpected Majorana-like zero-energy non-degenerate quasiparticle that does not produce a Hall voltage. In seamless integrated structures, the edge state forms a zero-energy one-dimensional ballistic network with essentially dissipationless nodes at ribbon-ribbon junctions. Seamless device structures offer a variety of switching possibilities including quantum coherent devices at low temperatures. This makes epigraphene a technologically viable graphene nanoelectronics platform that has the potential to succeed silicon nanoelectronics.