Balanced electron-hole transport in spin-orbit semimetal SrIrO3 heterostructures

TL;DR

This study combines experimental and theoretical methods to analyze the complex electronic transport in SrIrO3, revealing balanced electron-hole transport with similar coefficients despite different band structures.

Contribution

It introduces a multifold approach integrating magnetotransport, thermoelectric measurements, and first-principles calculations to disentangle complex electronic properties of SrIrO3.

Findings

Electrons and holes have similar transport coefficients.

The material shows a holelike response in thermoelectric and field-effect measurements.

A linear, electronlike Hall effect persists up to 33 T.

Abstract

Relating the band structure of correlated semimetals to their transport properties is a complex and often open issue. The partial occupation of numerous electron and hole bands can result in properties that are seemingly in contrast with one another, complicating the extraction of the transport coefficients of different bands. The 5d oxide SrIrO3 hosts parabolic bands of heavy holes and light electrons in gapped Dirac cones due to the interplay between electron-electron interactions and spin-orbit coupling. We present a multifold approach relying on different experimental techniques and theoretical calculations to disentangle its complex electronic properties. By combining magnetotransport and thermoelectric measurements in a field-effect geometry with first-principles calculations, we quantitatively determine the transport coefficients of different conduction channels. Despite their different dispersion relationships, electrons and holes are found to have strikingly similar transport coefficients, yielding a holelike response under field-effect and thermoelectric measurements and a linear, electronlike Hall effect up to 33 T.