Four-terminal graphene-superconductor thermal switch controlled by the superconducting phase difference

Abstract

We propose a superconducting phase-controlled thermal switch based on a four-terminal graphene-superconductor system. By the coupling of two superconducting leads on a zigzag graphene nanoribbon, both the normal-transmission coefficient and the crossed-Andreev-reflection coefficient, which dominate the thermal conductivity of electrons in the graphene nanoribbon, can be well controlled simultaneously by the phase difference of the superconducting leads. As a result, the thermal conductivity of electrons in the graphene nanoribbon can be tuned and a thermal switching effect appears. Using the nonequilibrium Green's function method, we verify this thermal switching effect numerically. At ambient temperatures less than about one tenth of the superconducting transition temperature, the thermal switching ratio can exceed 2000. The performance of the thermal switch can be regulated by the ambient temperature, and doping or gating can slightly increase the thermal switching ratio. The use of narrower graphene nanoribbons and wider superconducting leads facilitates the obtaining of larger thermal switching ratios. This switching effect of electronic thermal conductance in graphene is expected to be experimentally realized and applied.

9 pages, 5 figures

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