Chun Ning Lau

Few layer phosphorene (FLP) devices are extensively studied due to their unique electronic properties and potential applications on nano-electronics. Here we present magnetotransport studies which reveal electron–electron interactions as the dominant scattering mechanism in hexagonal boron nitride-encapsulated FLP devices. From weak localization measurements, we estimate the electron dephasing length to be 30 to 100 nm at low temperatures, which exhibits a strong dependence on carrier density n and a power-law dependence on temperature (∼ T ^{− 0.4} ). These results establish that the dominant scattering mechanism in FLP is electron–electron interactions.

Few layer phosphorene(FLP) devices are extensively studied due to its unique electronic properties and potential applications on nano-electronics . Here we present magnetotransport studies which reveal electron-electron interactions as the dominant scattering mechanism in hexagonal boron nitride-encapsulated FLP devices. From weak localization measurements, we estimate the electron dephasing length to be 30 to 100 nm at low temperatures, which exhibits a strong dependence on carrier density n and a power-law dependence on temperature (~T-0.4). These results establish that the dominant scattering mechanism in FLP is electron-electron interactions.

The co-presence of multiple Dirac bands in few-layer graphene leads to a rich phase diagram in the quantum Hall regime. Using transport measurements, we map the phase diagram of BN-encapsulated ABA-stacked trilayer graphene as a function charge density n, magnetic field B and interlayer displacement field D, and observe transitions among states with different spin, valley, orbital and parity polarizations. Such rich pattern arises from crossings between Landau levels from different subbands, which reflect the evolving symmetries that are tunable in situ. At D=0, we observe fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states at filling factors 2/3 and -11/3. Unlike those in bilayer graphene, these FQH states are destabilized by a small interlayer potential that hybridizes the different Dirac bands.

Owing to the spin, valley, and orbital symmetries, the lowest Landau level (LL) in bilayer graphene exhibits multicomponent quantum Hall ferromagnetism. Using transport spectroscopy, we investigate the energy gaps of integer and fractional quantum Hall states in bilayer graphene with controlled layer polarization. The state at filling factor {\nu}=1 has two distinct phases: a layer polarized state that has a larger energy gap and is stabilized by high electric field, and a hitherto unobserved interlayer coherent state with a smaller gap that is stabilized by large magnetic field. In contrast, the {\nu}=2/3 quantum Hall state and a feature at {\nu}=1/2 are only resolved at finite electric field and large magnetic field. These results underscore the importance of controlling layer polarization in understanding the competing symmetries in the unusual QH system of BLG.

Using transport measurements, we investigate multicomponent quantum Hall (QH) ferromagnetism in dual-gated rhombohedral trilayer graphene (r-TLG), in which the real spin, orbital pseudospin and layer pseudospins of the lowest Landau level form spontaneous ordering. We observe intermediate quantum Hall plateaus, indicating a complete lifting of the degeneracy of the zeroth Landau level (LL) in the hole-doped regime. In charge neutral r-TLG, the orbital degeneracy is broken first, and the layer degeneracy is broken last and only the in presence of an interlayer potential U. In the phase space of U and filling factor, we observe an intriguing hexagon pattern, which is accounted for by a model based on crossings between symmetry-broken LLs.

Using transport measurements, we investigate multicomponent quantum Hall (QH) ferromagnetism in dual-gated rhombohedral trilayer graphene (r-TLG) in which the real spin, orbital pseudospin, and layer pseudospins of the lowest Landau level form spontaneous ordering. We observe intermediate QH plateaus, indicating a complete lifting of the degeneracy of the zeroth Landau level (LL) in the hole-doped regime. In charge neutral r-TLG, the orbital degeneracy is broken first, and the layer degeneracy is broken last and only in the presence of an interlayer potential U_⊥. In the phase space of U_⊥ and filling factor ν, we observe an intriguing “hexagon” pattern, which is accounted for by a model based on crossings between symmetry-broken LLs.

We report fabrication and characterization of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)-encapsulated carbon nanotube (CNT) field effect transistors, which are coupled to electrical leads via zero-dimensional contacts. Device quality is attested by the ohmic contacts and observation of Coulomb blockade with a single periodicity in small bandgap semiconducing nanotubes. Surprisingly, hBN-encapsulated CNT devices demonstrate significantly enhanced current carrying capacity; a single-walled CNT can sustain >180 μA current or, equivalently, a current density of ∼2 × 10¹⁰ A/cm², which is a factor of 6–7 higher than devices supported on SiO₂ substrates. Such dramatic enhancement of current carrying capacity arises from the high thermal conductivity of hBN and lower hBN-CNT interfacial thermal resistance and has implications for carbon electronic applications.