Transport properties in periodically modulated zigzag silicene nanoribbon

• The transport properties of zigzag silicene nanoribbon superlattices are studied.
• A periodic electric field is applied perpendicular to the surface of silicene.
• The conductance depends on the superlattice structural parameters.
• Silicene superlattices show miniband transport properties.

We study theoretically the electronic transport properties of zigzag silicene nanoribbon superlattices subject to a periodic electric field perpendicular to the surface of silicene. Our results show that the conductivity of the system depends on the superlattice structural parameters and show effects analogous to those found with two-dimensional semiconductor superlattices. For a superlattice with NbNb barriers, a series of resonant peaks, each of which is split into (Nb−1)(Nb−1) subpeaks, and transmission blockade regions appear in the conductance spectrum, which indicates the formation of minibands and minigaps. These silicene-based quantum structures can provide concepts for the design nanodevices.