Strain-controlled electron switch in graphene

Abstract

We explore the transmission properties of electrons through an n-p-n junction and propose a design for a strain-controlled electron switch in graphene. We analyze the conductance as a function of the strain magnitude and direction, the energy gap, the width and height of the potential barrier, and the energy of the incident electrons. The switch can be turned off using strain applied only along special directions. The conductance, with gaps caused by evanescent waves, is almost unaffected by the barrier width but is affected by the height. A larger strain magnitude can restrain the conductance of higher energy electrons.