Abstract
Disordered conductors with resistivity above the resistance quantum h/e2 should exhibit an insulating behaviour at low temperatures, a universal phenomenon known as a strong (Anderson) localization1,2,3. Observed in a multitude of materials, including damaged graphene and its disordered chemical derivatives4,5,6,7,8,9,10, Anderson localization has not been seen in generic graphene, despite its resistivity near the neutrality point reaching ≈h/e2 per carrier type4,5. It has remained a puzzle why graphene is such an exception. Here we report a strong localization and the corresponding metal–insulator transition in ultra-high-quality graphene. The transition is controlled externally, by changing the carrier density in another graphene layer placed at a distance of several nm and decoupled electrically. The entire behaviour is explained by electron–hole puddles that disallow localization in standard devices but can be screened out in double-layer graphene. The localization that occurs with decreasing rather than increasing disorder is a unique occurrence, and the reported double-layer heterostructures presents a new experimental system that invites further studies.
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Acknowledgements
We thank M. Katsnelson, A. MacDonald and A. C. Neto for useful discussions. This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK), the Royal Society, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Körber Foundation.
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R.V.G. designed the experiments; L.A.P. and S.V.M. carried out measurements; R.V.G. and R.J. fabricated the devices; L.A.P., R.V.G. and A.K.G. carried out data analysis; L.A.P., A.A.Z. and A.K.G. wrote the article. All the authors contributed to discussions. L.A.P. and R.V.G. contributed to the work equally.
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Ponomarenko, L., Geim, A., Zhukov, A. et al. Tunable metal–insulator transition in double-layer graphene heterostructures. Nature Phys 7, 958–961 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2114
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2114
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