Magneto-transport in One-dimensional van der Waals Chiral Material Tellurium

Tellurium (Te) is a p-type narrow-bandgap high-mobility semiconductor with one dimensional van der Waals (vdW) structure. It has a unique chiral-chain crystal lattice in which individual helical chains of Te atoms are stacked together by vdW type bonds. With recently developed solvent-based growth method, we are able to probe the magneto-transport of Te in its 2D limit. Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations were observed in high-quality tellurium films which shed lights on intrinsic material properties such as its effective mass and carrier lifetime. Strong anisotropic magneto resistance indicates very different transport mechanisms along van der Waals bonds and covalence bonds. Our Te samples show evidence of strong spin-orbit coupling and Rashba-like splitting at H point of Brillouin zone which originates from its broken spatial-inversion-symmetry in the helical crystal structure. The spin-orbit coupling combined with the presence of large external magnetic fields gives rise to anomalous transport properties which is considered as strong evidence of chirality. Our results of the unique magneto- transport can be interpreted as a macroscopic manifestation of its 1D van der Waals nature and strong helicity.