Quantum Hall effect of the topological insulator state of cadmium arsenide in Corbino geometry

Abstract

The surfaces of a three-dimensional topological insulator each host a single Dirac fermion, which, in a strong magnetic field, contribute to the transverse conductance in integer-and-a-half multiples of the conductance quantum. The direct observation of this extra half integer, the hallmark of the two-dimensional Dirac state, is usually thwarted by the fermion doubling theorem—top and bottom surfaces are not measured independently. Here, we employ a Corbino measurement geometry in which a current, induced by an ac magnetic field, is driven around the ring, as a complementary measurement to the conventional Hall bar geometry. As the device enters the quantum Hall regime, the transverse voltage reaches a series of plateaus when the current is carried by the incompressible bulk states. We compare the results with the corresponding Hall bar measurements.