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Quantum Hall resistance standard in graphene devices under relaxed experimental conditions

Nature Nanotechnology volume 10, pages 965–971 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

The quantum Hall effect provides a universal standard for electrical resistance that is theoretically based on only the Planck constant h and the electron charge e. Currently, this standard is implemented in GaAs/AlGaAs, but graphene's electronic properties have given hope for a more practical device. Here, we demonstrate that the experimental conditions necessary for the operation of devices made of high-quality graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition on silicon carbide can be extended and significantly relaxed compared with those for state-of-the-art GaAs/AlGaAs devices. In particular, the Hall resistance can be accurately quantized to within 1 × 10−9 over a 10 T wide range of magnetic flux density, down to 3.5 T, at a temperature of up to 10 K or with a current of up to 0.5 mA. This experimental simplification highlights the great potential of graphene in the development of user-friendly and versatile quantum standards that are compatible with broader industrial uses beyond those in national metrology institutes. Furthermore, the measured agreement of the quantized Hall resistance in graphene and GaAs/AlGaAs, with an ultimate uncertainty of 8.2 × 10−11, supports the universality of the quantum Hall effect. This also provides evidence of the relation of the quantized Hall resistance with h and e, which is crucial for the new Système International d'unités to be based on fixing such fundamental constants of nature.

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Figure 1: Relaxed experimental conditions of magnetic flux density B, temperature T and measurement current I ensuring Hall resistance quantization with 1 × 10−9 accuracy in the device made of CVD graphene on SiC.
Figure 2: Hall device, graphene characterizations and magnetotransport characteristics.
Figure 3: High-precision measurements of the Hall and longitudinal resistance along the h/(2e2) plateau in the device made of CVD graphene on SiC.
Figure 4: Extended range of experimental conditions of magnetic flux density B, temperature T and current I ensuring Hall resistance quantization with 1 × 10−9 accuracy in the device made of CVD graphene on SiC.
Figure 5: QHE universality test.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank C. Berger (GeorgiaTech), S. Borini (Nokia Research Center), D. Estève (CEA), D.C. Glattli (CEA), P. Gournay (BIPM), M. Keller (NIST) and K. von Klitzing (Max Planck Institute) for discussions, and S. Ducourtieux (LNE), D. Leprat (LNE), D. Mailly (LPN), M. Portail (CRHEA), T. Chassagne (NovaSiC) and M. Zielinski (NovaSiC) for technical support. This research received funding from the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (grant no. ANR-2011-NANO-004), and was partly supported within the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) project SIB51, GraphOhm. The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET) and the European Union.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LNE – Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais, 29 avenue Roger Hennequin, Trappes, 78197, France

    R. Ribeiro-Palau, F. Lafont, J. Brun-Picard, W. Poirier & F. Schopfer

  2. LPN – Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, CNRS, Route de Nozay, Marcoussis, 91460, France

    D. Kazazis

  3. CRHEA – Centre de Recherche sur l'Hétéroépitaxie et ses Applications, CNRS, Rue Bernard Grégory, Valbonne, 06560, France

    A. Michon

  4. Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, CINaM UMR 7325, Marseille, 13288, France

    F. Cheynis

  5. L2C – Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, CNRS–Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier, 34095, France

    O. Couturaud, C. Consejo & B. Jouault

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  1. R. Ribeiro-Palau
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Contributions

F.S., R.R.-P. and W.P. planned the experiments. A.M. fabricated the graphene layers. F.C. and A.M. performed structural characterization of the graphene layers. D.K. fabricated the Hall bar devices. R.R-P., F.S., J.B.-P., W.P. and F.L. conducted the electrical metrological measurements. O.C., C.C., B.J. and D.K. carried out complementary electrical measurements. R.R-P., F.S. and W.P. analysed the data. F.S., R.R.-P., W.P., A.M., B.J., D.K. and J.B.-P. wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to F. Schopfer.

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Ribeiro-Palau, R., Lafont, F., Brun-Picard, J. et al. Quantum Hall resistance standard in graphene devices under relaxed experimental conditions. Nature Nanotech 10, 965–971 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2015.192

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