Thickness dependence of the quantum Hall effect in films of the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd3As2

Abstract

Low-temperature magnetotransport studies are reported for (112)Cd3As2 films grown on (111)CdTe by molecular beam epitaxy as a function of the Cd3As2 film thickness. All films show Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. An even-integer quantum Hall effect is observed for films thinner than 70 nm. For the thinnest films, the bulk is gapped and transport at low temperatures occurs only via the gapless, two-dimensional states. The lowest Landau level is reached at ∼10 T, and the longitudinal resistance nearly vanishes at the plateaus in the Hall resistance. The results are discussed in the context of the current theoretical understanding of topological surface states in three-dimensional Dirac semimetals.