Negative differential resistance and quantum oscillations in FeSb2 with embedded antimony**Project supported by Guangdong Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program, China (Grant No. 2016ZT06D348), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11874193), and the Shenzhen Fundamental Subject Research Program, China (Grant Nos. JCYJ20170817110751776 and JCYJ20170307105434022). The work at Brookhaven is supported by the US Department of Energy, Office

Abstract

We present a systematical study on single crystalline FeSb2 using electrical transport and magnetic torque measurements at low temperatures. Nonlinear magnetic field dependence of Hall resistivity demonstrates a multi-carrier transport instinct of the electronic transport. Current-controlled negative differential resistance (CC-NDR) observed in current–voltage characteristics below ∼ 7 K is closely associated with the intrinsic transition ∼ 5 K of FeSb2, which is, however, mediated by extrinsic current-induced Joule heating effect. The antimony crystallized in a preferred orientation within the FeSb2 lattice in the high-temperature synthesis process leaves its fingerprint in the de Haas-Van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations, and results in the regular angular dependence of the oscillating frequencies. Nevertheless, possible existence of intrinsic non-trivial states cannot be completely ruled out. Our findings call for further theoretical and experimental studies to explore novel physics on flux-free grown FeSb2 crystals.