We investigate theoretically high-order harmonic generation (HHG) and its ellipticity in gapped graphene, driven by a femtosecond short-pulse laser at various orientation angles, employing the two-band density-matrix equations within the tight-binding approximation. The orientation-dependent harmonic spectra exhibit pronounced enhancement of specific harmonics, which we attribute to the caustic effect. Using the recombination trajectory model, we reveal that the orientation dependence of these enhanced harmonics originates from the distinct band structures encountered by electrons ionized from the two inequivalent $\text{K}$ points. Moreover, we focus on the ellipticity of the enhanced harmonics at specific angles and demonstrate that it primarily depends on the phase difference between the parallel and perpendicular components, which can be accurately predicted by our recombination trajectory model. Based on these insights, we propose a two-color (fundamental plus second-harmonic) field scheme to generate isolated elliptically polarized attosecond pulses (IEAPs) in gapped graphene and discuss the dependence of IEAPs on the laser parameters and gap energy. Our findings may provide a promising pathway for generating IEAPs in gapped graphene or transition-metal dichalcogenides.

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• Few-cycle light pulses
• High-order harmonic generation
• 2-dimensional systems
• Graphene
• Polarization
• Strong-field approximation