Electrostatically induced quantum point contact in bilayer graphene

Abstract: We report the fabrication of electrostatically defined nanostructures in encapsulated bilayer graphene, with leakage resistances below depletion gates as high as $R \sim 10~$G$\Omega$. This exceeds previously reported values of $R =~$10 - 100 k$\Omega$.\cite{Zou2010,Yan2010,Zhu2016a} We attribute this improvement to the use of a graphite back gate. We realize two split gate devices which define an electronic channel on the scale of the Fermi-wavelength. A channel gate covering the gap between the split gates varies the charge carrier density in the channel. We observe device-dependent conductance quantization of $\Delta G = 2~e^2/h$ and $\Delta G = 4~e^2/h$. In quantizing magnetic fields normal to the sample plane, we recover the four- fold Landau level degeneracy of bilayer graphene. Unexpected mode crossings appear at the crossover between zero magnetic field and the quantum Hall regime.