Triaxially strained suspended graphene for large-area pseudo-magnetic fields

Abstract: Strain-engineered graphene has garnered much attention recently owing to the possibilities of creating substantial energy gaps enabled by pseudo-magnetic fields. While theoretical works proposed the possibility of creating large-area pseudo-magnetic fields by straining monolayer graphene along three crystallographic directions, clear experimental demonstration of such promising devices remains elusive. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate a triaxially strained suspended graphene structure that has the potential to possess large-scale and quasi-uniform pseudo-magnetic fields. Our structure employs uniquely designed metal electrodes that function both as stressors and metal contacts for current injection. Raman characterization and tight-binding simulations suggest the possibility of achieving pseudo-magnetic fields over a micrometer-scale area. Current-voltage measurements confirm an efficient current injection into graphene, showing the potential of our devices for a new class of optoelectronic applications. We also theoretically propose a photonic crystal-based laser structure that obtains strongly localized optical fields overlapping with the spatial area under uniform pseudo-magnetic fields, thus presenting a practical route towards the realization of graphene lasers.