Origin of magnetoresistance suppression in thin $\gamma$-MoTe$_2$

Abstract

We use both classical magnetotransport and quantum oscillation measurements to study the thickness evolution of the extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) material and type-II Weyl semimetal candidate, $\gamma$-MoTe$_2$, protected from oxidation. We find that the magnetoresistance is systematically suppressed with reduced thickness. This occurs concomitantly with both a decrease in carrier mobility and increase in electron-hole imbalance. We model the two effects separately and conclude that the XMR effect is more sensitive to the former.