Anisotropic behavior of quantum transport in graphene superlattices : coexistence of ballistic conduction with Anderson insulating regime

Abstract

We report on the possibility to generate highly anisotropic quantum conductivity in disordered graphene-based superlattices. Our quantum simulations, based on an efficient real-space implementation of the Kubo-Greenwood formula, show that in disordered graphene superlattices the strength of multiple scattering phenomena can strongly depend on the transport measurement geometry. This eventually yields the coexistence of a ballistic waveguide and a highly resistive channel (Anderson insulator) in the same two-dimensional platform, evidenced by a σyy/σxx ratio varying over several orders of magnitude, and suggesting the possibility of building graphene electronic circuits based on the unique properties of chiral massless Dirac fermions in graphene.