Tunable transmission due to defects in zigzag phosphorene nanoribbons

Transport of the edge-state electrons along zigzag phosphorene nanoribbons in the presence of two impurities/vacancies is analytically investigated. Considering the places of the defects, a number of different situations are examined. When both defects are placed on the edge zigzag chain, as is expected, by changing the energy of the traveling electrons the electrical conductance exhibits a resonance behavior. In this case, for two vacancies the observed resonant peaks become extremely sharp. An amazing behavior is seen when the second vacancy is located along an armchair chain while the first is placed at the intersection of the edge zigzag and this armchair chain. In this case, in a considerable range of energy, the conductance is strongly strengthened. In fact the presence of the second vacancy creates a shielded region around the first vacancy, consequently, the traveling wave bypasses this region and enhances the conductance. The analytical results are compared with numerical simulations showing very good agreement. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2019