Phase-Coherent Transport in Two-Dimensional Tellurium Flakes

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Elemental tellurium (Te) is a van der Waals material with a chiral crystal structure.
• Te exhibits predicted topological properties, making it of significant research interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and investigate quantum transport properties of elemental tellurium flakes with varying thicknesses.
• To explore the potential of Te as a material for advanced electronic devices and fundamental physics research.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of thin tellurium (Te) flakes.
• Comprehensive quantum transport measurements at cryogenic temperatures (30 K and <50 mK).
• Application of magnetic fields to probe transport characteristics.

Main Results:

• Achieved high hole mobility up to 1000 cm²/V·s in a 17 nm thick Te flake at 30 K.
• Observed transition from Coulomb blockade to Fabry-Pérot interference in thin Te flakes at low temperatures.
• Demonstrated enhanced Fabry-Pérot oscillation visibility in thinner flakes and clear Zeeman splitting under magnetic fields.

Conclusions:

• High-quality thin Te flakes exhibit rich quantum transport phenomena.
• Te is a promising material for exploring topological superconductivity.
• Thin Te flakes are suitable for developing low-power spintronic applications.