Graphene-based materials are promising candidates for nanoelectronic devices because very high carrier mobilities can be achieved without the use of sophisticated material preparation techniques. ...However, the carrier mobilities reported for single-layer and bilayer graphene are still less than those reported for graphite crystals at low temperatures, and the optimum number of graphene layers for any given application is currently unclear, because the charge transport properties of samples containing three or more graphene layers have not yet been investigated systematically. Here, we study charge transport through trilayer graphene as a function of carrier density, temperature, and perpendicular electric field. We find that trilayer graphene is a semimetal with a resistivity that decreases with increasing electric field, a behaviour that is markedly different from that of single-layer and bilayer graphene. We show that the phenomenon originates from an overlap between the conduction and valence bands that can be controlled by an electric field, a property that had never previously been observed in any other semimetal. We also determine the effective mass of the charge carriers, and show that it accounts for a large part of the variation in the carrier mobility as the number of layers in the sample is varied.
Three-dimensional topological insulators are characterized by the presence of a bandgap in their bulk and gapless Dirac fermions at their surfaces. New physical phenomena originating from the ...presence of the Dirac fermions are predicted to occur, and to be experimentally accessible via transport measurements in suitably designed electronic devices. Here we study transport through superconducting junctions fabricated on thin Bi(2)Se(3) single crystals, equipped with a gate electrode. In the presence of perpendicular magnetic field B, sweeping the gate voltage enables us to observe the filling of the Dirac fermion Landau levels, whose character evolves continuously from electron- to hole-like. When B=0, a supercurrent appears, whose magnitude can be gate tuned, and is minimum at the charge neutrality point determined from the Landau level filling. Our results demonstrate how gated nano-electronic devices give control over normal and superconducting transport of Dirac fermions at an individual surface of a three-dimensional topological insulators.
The charge trapping instabilities of sexithiophene Thin Film Transistors occuring during device operation, are studied as a function of time and temperature. These charge trapping instabilities are ...characterised by a threshold voltage shift (ΔVT) brought about by a stress voltage at the gate contact. The charge carrier mobility remains constant under bias stress and is independent on ΔVT. The threshold shift is observed to be logarithmically dependent on time. The decay rate of ΔVT is thermally activated with an activation energy, which is similar to the activated behaviour of the charge carrier mobility, of about 89 meV. The nature of the charge trapping instabilities is not known at this moment.
The electronic transport properties of graphene exhibit pronounced differences from those of conventional two dimensional electron systems investigated in the past. As a consequence, well established ...phenomena such as the integer quantum Hall effect and weak localization manifest themselves differently in graphene. Here we present an overview of recent experiments that we have performed to probe phase coherent transport. In particular, we have investigated in great detail Josephson supercurrent and superconducting proximity effect in junctions consisting of a graphene layer in between superconducting electrodes. We have also used the same devices to measure aperiodic conductance fluctuations and weak localization. The experimental results clearly indicate that low-temperature transport in graphene is phase coherent on a -al ,um length scale, irrespective of the position of the Fermi level. We discuss the different behavior of Josephson supercurrent and weak localization in terms of the unusual properties of the electronic states in graphene upon time reversal symmetry.
Quantum Hall effect in narrow graphene ribbons Hettmansperger, H.; Duerr, F.; Oostinga, J. B. ...
Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics,
11/2012, Volume:
86, Issue:
19
Journal Article
Open access
The edge states in the integer quantum Hall effect are known to be significantly affected by electrostatic interactions leading to the formation of compressible and incompressible strips at the ...boundaries of Hall bars. We show here, in a combined experimental and theoretical analysis, that this does not hold for the quantum Hall effect in narrow graphene ribbons. In our graphene Hall bar, which is only 60 nm wide, we observe the quantum Hall effect up to Landau level index k = 2 and show within a zero-free-parameter model that the spatial extent of the compressible and incompressible strips is of a similar magnitude as the magnetic length. We conclude that in narrow graphene ribbons the single-particle picture is a more appropriate description of the quantum Hall effect and that electrostatic effects are of minor importance.
Abstract Background Metastatic testicular cancer (TC) can be cured with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) chemotherapy. This comes at the price of an increased cardiovascular disease risk, not ...only years afterwards, but also during and shortly after chemotherapy. To prevent cardiovascular events, high-risk patients should be identified. The aim of this study was to assess BEP-chemotherapy induced vascular damage and to find risk factors for early vascular events. Patients and methods A prospective cohort study was performed in (B)EP treated TC patients. Development of venous and arterial vascular events was assessed. Vascular damage markers (von Willebrand factor vWF, coagulation factor VIII FVIII, intima media thickness IMT) and cardiovascular risk factors were assessed before and until 1 year after chemotherapy. Before start of chemotherapy a vascular fingerprint was estimated. Presence of ≥3 risk factors was defined as high-risk vascular fingerprint: body mass index >25 kg/m2 , current smoking, blood pressure >140/90 mm Hg, total cholesterol >5.1 and/or low-density lipoprotein >2.5 mmol/L or glucose ≥7 mmol/L. Results Seventy-three patients were included. Eight (11%) developed vascular events (four arterial events, four pulmonary embolisms). vWF and FVIII increased during chemotherapy, especially in patients with vascular events. Sixteen patients (22%) had a high-risk vascular fingerprint before start of chemotherapy. These patients had arterial events more often (3/16 19% versus 1/57 2%; p = 0.031) and higher vWF levels and IMT. Conclusions Endothelial activation and upregulation of procoagulant activity seem important mechanisms involved in early (B)EP-chemotherapy-induced vascular events. Before chemotherapy, a quarter already had cardiovascular risk factors. A vascular fingerprint could identify patients at risk for arterial events. This vascular fingerprint, when validated, can be used as a tool to select patients who may benefit from preventive strategies.
The edge states in the integer quantum Hall effect are known to be significantly affected by electrostatic interactions leading to the formation of compressible and incompressible strips at the ...boundaries of Hall bars. We show here, in a combined experimental and theoretical analysis, that this does not hold for the quantum Hall effect in narrow graphene ribbons. In our graphene Hall bar, which is only 60 nm wide, we observe the quantum Hall effect up to Landau level index k=2 and show within a zero free-parameter model that the spatial extent of the compressible and incompressible strips is of a similar magnitude as the magnetic length. We conclude that in narrow graphene ribbons the single-particle picture is a more appropriate description of the quantum Hall effect and that electrostatic effects are of minor importance.
Three-dimensional topological insulators are characterized by the presence of a bandgap in their bulk and gapless Dirac fermions at their surfaces. New physical phenomena originating from the ...presence of the Dirac fermions are predicted to occur, and to be experimentally accessible via transport measurements in suitably designed electronic devices. Here we study transport through superconducting junctions fabricated on thin Bi2Se3 single crystals, equipped with a gate electrode. In the presence of perpendicular magnetic field B, sweeping the gate voltage enables us to observe the filling of the Dirac fermion Landau levels, whose character evolves continuously from electron- to hole-like. When B=0, a supercurrent appears, whose magnitude can be gate tuned, and is minimum at the charge neutrality point determined from the Landau level filling. Our results demonstrate how gated nano-electronic devices give control over normal and superconducting transport of Dirac fermions at an individual surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator.