Unconventional correlated insulator in CrOCl-interfaced Bernal bilayer graphene.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37059725.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-37769-2 and PMC identifier 10104821.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The realization of graphene gapped states with large on/off ratios over wide doping ranges remains challenging. Here, we investigate heterostructures based on Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene (BLG) atop few-layered CrOCl, exhibiting an over-1-GΩ-resistance insulating state in a widely accessible gate voltage range. The insulating state could be switched into a metallic state with an on/off ratio up to 10<sup>7</sup> by applying an in-plane electric field, heating, or gating. We tentatively associate the observed behavior to the formation of a surface state in CrOCl under vertical electric fields, promoting electron-electron (e-e) interactions in BLG via long-range Coulomb coupling. Consequently, at the charge neutrality point, a crossover from single particle insulating behavior to an unconventional correlated insulator is enabled, below an onset temperature. We demonstrate the application of the insulating state for the realization of a logic inverter operating at low temperatures. Our findings pave the way for future engineering of quantum electronic states based on interfacial charge coupling.