Current-voltage characteristics of graphene devices: Interplay between Zener-Klein tunneling and defects

We report a theoretical/experimental study of current-voltage characteristics (I-V) of graphene devices near the Dirac point. The I-V can be described by a power law (I alpha V(alpha) with 1 < alpha <= 1.5). The exponent is higher when the mobility is lower. This superlinear I-V is interpreted in terms of the interplay between Zener-Klein transport, that is tunneling between different energy bands, and defect scattering. Surprisingly, the Zener-Klein tunneling is made visible by the presence of defects.