Observation of Planar Hall Effect in Topological Insulator -- Bi$_2$Te$_3$

Abstract

Planar Hall effect (PHE) in topological insulators (TIs) is discussed as an effect that stems mostly from conduction due to topologically protected surface states. Although surfaces states play a critical role and are of utmost importance in TIs, our present study reflects the need for considering the bulk conduction in understanding PHE in TIs. Here, we demonstrate an enhancement in PHE amplitude by three times by doubling the thickness of Bi$_2$Te$_3$ film on Si (111). The PHE amplitude reaches $\approx$~6 n$\Omega$m in 30 quintuple layer (QL) device as compared to $\approx$~2 n$\Omega$m in 14 QL. We find that the PHE amplitude increases with temperature in the 30 QL Bi$_2$Te$_3$ films grown on Si (111) and Al$_2$O$_3$ (0001). Our experiments indicate that the contribution of bulk states to PHE in TIs could be significant.