Phase Coherent Transport in Two-Dimensional Tellurium Flakes

TL;DR

This study investigates quantum transport in two-dimensional tellurium flakes, revealing high mobility, quantum interference effects, and Zeeman splitting, highlighting their potential for advanced quantum devices.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive fabrication and quantum transport analysis of Te flakes, demonstrating their high quality and potential for topological and spintronic applications.

Findings

Hole mobility up to 1000 cm2/V.s at 30K

Transition from Coulomb blockade to Fabry-Pérot interference at low temperatures

Zeeman splitting observed in conductance peaks

Abstract

Elemental tellurium (Te) is a compelling van der Waals material due to its interesting chiral crystal structure and predicted topological properties. Here, we report the fabrication and comprehensive quantum transport study of devices based on Te flakes with varying thicknesses. We demonstrate a hole mobility reaching up to 1000 cm2/V.s in a 17 nm thick flake at 30 Kelvin. At deep cryogenic temperatures (< 50mK), the transport characteristics transition from Coulomb blockade in the low carrier density regime to pronounced Fabry-P\'erot (F-P) interference at higher densities. Notably, the visibility of these F-P oscillations is significantly enhanced in the thinner flake device. The application of a magnetic field reveals a clear Zeeman splitting of the conductance peaks. The rich variety of quantum transport phenomena observed underscores the high quality of our thin Te flakes and establishes them as a promising platform for exploring novel physics and device concepts, such as topological superconductivity and low-power spintronic applications.