Tunneling characteristics of twisted double bilayer graphene heterostructures

Abstract

Electron tunneling between sheets of bilayer Bernal graphene twisted at different small angles was studied experimentally and theoretically. The current-voltage characteristics exhibit resonant peaks, steps, and regions of negative differential resistance, the origin of which is explained by the intersections of energy- and momentum-shifted electron dispersions of adjacent layers. A theoretical analysis of tunneling transport demonstrated that the key to understanding this phenomenon lies in the competition between two contributions: between like (conductivity-conductivity or valence-valence) and unlike (conductivity-valence) bands of parallel bilayer graphene sheets. A systematic evolution of the tunneling current patterns with increase of the twist angle is investigated. Polarization of electron wave function across graphene sublayers caused by displacement field within bilayer graphene is shown to strongly affect the tunneling probability, thus enhancing negative differential resistance due to Van Hove singularities at the band edges.