Gate-tunable bandgap in bilayer graphene

L. A. Falkovsky

Published 2009-08-24Version 1

The tight-binding model of bilayer graphene is used to find the gap between the conduction and valence bands, as a function of both the gate voltage and as the doping by donors or acceptors. The total Hartree energy is minimized and the equation for the gap is obtained. This equation for the ratio of the gap to the chemical potential is determined only by the screening constant. Thus the gap is strictly proportional to the gate voltage or the carrier concentration in the absence of donors or acceptors. In the opposite case, where the donors or acceptors are present, the gap demonstrates the asymmetrical behavior on the electron and hole sides of the gate bias. A comparison with experimental data obtained by Kuzmenko et al demonstrates the good agreement.