A balanced quantum Hall resistor

Abstract

The quantum anomalous Hall effect in magnetic topological insulators has potential for use in quantum resistance metrology applications. Electronic conductance is quantized to e2/h (where e is the elementary charge and h is the Planck constant) due to the effect, which persists down to zero external magnetic field and is compatible with the quantum standard of voltage. However, metrological applications of the quantum anomalous Hall effect are currently restricted by the need for low measurement currents and low temperatures. Here we report a measurement scheme that increases the robustness of a zero-magnetic-field quantum anomalous Hall resistor and extends its operating range to higher currents. In the scheme, we simultaneously inject current into two disconnected perimeters of a multi-terminal Corbino device, which is based on V0.1(Bi0.2Sb0.8)1.9Te3, to balance the electrochemical potential between the edges. This screens the electric field that drives backscattering through the bulk and thus improves the stability of the quantization at increased currents. Our approach could also be applied to existing quantum resistance standards that rely on the integer quantum Hall effect.