Electrically Driven Plasmon-Polaritonic Bistability in Dirac Electron Tunneling Transistors
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Bistability-two distinct stable states under identical parameters-is not only a fundamental physical concept but also of importance in practical applications. While plasmon-polaritonic bistability representing history-dependent stable states within plasmonic systems has been theoretically predicted, it has yet to be demonstrated experimentally due to challenges in realizing suitable nonlinearity at feasible electric-field strengths. Here, we report the experimental observation of electrically driven plasmon-polaritonic bistability in graphene/hexagonal-boron-nitride/graphene tunneling transistors, achieved through momentum-conserving resonant tunneling of Dirac electrons. Using a small twist angle between graphene layers, we engineered devices exhibiting both electronic and plasmon-polaritonic bistability. This bistable plasmonic behavior can be precisely tuned through load resistance and electrostatic gating. Our findings open new pathways for exploring nonlinear optical and electronic phenomena in van der Waals heterostructures and mark a significant advance in nanoplasmonics, with potential applications in optical memory, sensing, and optoelectronic switching.
Source: Physical Review Letters
DOI: 10.1103/7xlm-s3s5
Authors: Shuai Zhang, Yang Xu, Junhe Zhang, Dihao Sun, Yinan Dong, Matthew Fu, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Cory Dean, Monica Allen, Jeffery Allen, F. Javier García de Abajo, Antti J. Moilanen, Lukas Novotny, D. N. Basov
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, U.S. Department of Energy, University of Dayton Research Institute, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Office of Science, European Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Basic Energy Sciences
OpenAlex ID: W4417210289