Multiple Fermi pockets revealed by Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in WTe₂

¹ Spintronic and Electronic Materials Group, Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, University of Wollongong, Innovation Campus North Wollongong, New South Wales 2500, Australia
² Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, The University of New South Wales - Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia

^(a) xiaolin@uow.edu.au

Received: 31 May 2015
Accepted: 2 November 2015

Abstract

The recently discovered non-saturating and parabolic magnetoresistance and the pressure-induced superconductivity at low temperature in WTe₂ imply its rich electronic structure and possible practical applications. Here we use magnetotransport measurements to investigate the electronic structure of WTe₂ single crystals. A non-saturating and parabolic magnetoresistance is observed from low temperature to high temperature up to 200 K with magnetic fields up to 8 T. Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations with beating patterns are observed, the fast Fourier transform of which reveals three oscillation frequencies, corresponding to three pairs of Fermi pockets with comparable effective masses, . By fitting the Hall resistivity, we infer that they can be attributed to one pair of electron pockets and two pairs of hole pockets, together with nearly perfect compensation of the electron-hole carrier concentration. These magnetotransport measurements reveal the complex electronic structure in WTe₂, explaining the non-saturating magnetoresistance.