| A. S. Mayorov, R. V. Gorbachev, S. V. Morozov, L. Britnell, R. Jalil, L. A. Ponomarenko, P. Blake, K. S. Novoselov, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, A. K. Geim
Graphene encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) exhibits room-temperature ballistic transport over micrometer scales, a significant advancement in graphene electronics. This study reports devices with graphene sandwiched between two hBN layers, showing negative transfer resistance in bend geometry, indicating ballistic transport over 1 micrometer. The devices achieve high mobility (up to 500,000 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹) and mean free path (up to 3 micrometers) at low carrier concentrations. The encapsulation protects graphene from environmental degradation and allows hBN to function as an ultra-thin gate dielectric. The high quality of these devices is attributed to the suppression of extrinsic scattering and weak electron-phonon interactions. The study also reveals that the longitudinal conductivity is limited by boundary scattering rather than bulk scattering at higher carrier concentrations. Measurements of bend resistance (R_B) show that the mean free path (l) increases with carrier concentration, reaching up to 3 micrometers at low temperatures. The negative R_B observed is consistent with ballistic transport, where charge carriers travel without scattering. The magnetic field dependence of R_B confirms the ballistic nature of transport, with a characteristic field where the sign of R_B changes. The Hall resistance (R_H) also exhibits nonlinear behavior, indicating the presence of ballistic transport. The study further demonstrates that the mean free path (l) is significantly larger than the device width (w), essential for observing negative R_B. The results highlight the potential of hBN-encapsulated graphene for high-performance electronic devices, with mobilities rivaling those of suspended graphene. The findings underscore the importance of encapsulation in achieving high-quality graphene and open new avenues for exploring ballistic transport in 2D materials.Graphene encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) exhibits room-temperature ballistic transport over micrometer scales, a significant advancement in graphene electronics. This study reports devices with graphene sandwiched between two hBN layers, showing negative transfer resistance in bend geometry, indicating ballistic transport over 1 micrometer. The devices achieve high mobility (up to 500,000 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹) and mean free path (up to 3 micrometers) at low carrier concentrations. The encapsulation protects graphene from environmental degradation and allows hBN to function as an ultra-thin gate dielectric. The high quality of these devices is attributed to the suppression of extrinsic scattering and weak electron-phonon interactions. The study also reveals that the longitudinal conductivity is limited by boundary scattering rather than bulk scattering at higher carrier concentrations. Measurements of bend resistance (R_B) show that the mean free path (l) increases with carrier concentration, reaching up to 3 micrometers at low temperatures. The negative R_B observed is consistent with ballistic transport, where charge carriers travel without scattering. The magnetic field dependence of R_B confirms the ballistic nature of transport, with a characteristic field where the sign of R_B changes. The Hall resistance (R_H) also exhibits nonlinear behavior, indicating the presence of ballistic transport. The study further demonstrates that the mean free path (l) is significantly larger than the device width (w), essential for observing negative R_B. The results highlight the potential of hBN-encapsulated graphene for high-performance electronic devices, with mobilities rivaling those of suspended graphene. The findings underscore the importance of encapsulation in achieving high-quality graphene and open new avenues for exploring ballistic transport in 2D materials.