Gate-dependent non-linear Hall effect at room temperature in topological semimetal GeTe

Abstract

We experimentally investigate non-linear Hall effect as zero-frequency and second-harmonic transverse voltage responses to ac electric current for topological semimetal GeTe. A thick single-crystal GeTe flake is placed on the Si/SiO$_2$ substrate, where the p-doped Si layer serves as a gate electrode. We confirm, that electron concentration is not gate-sensitive in thick GeTe flakes due to the gate field screening by bulk carriers. In contrast, by transverse voltage measurements, we demonstrate that the non-linear Hall effect shows pronounced dependence on the gate electric field at room temperature. Since the non-linear Hall effect is a direct consequence of a Berry curvature dipole in topological media, our observations indicate that Berry curvature can be controlled by the gate electric field. This experimental observation can be understood as a result of the known dependence of giant Rashba splitting on the external electric field in GeTe. For possible applications, the zero-frequency gate-controlled non-linear Hall effect can be used for the efficient broad-band rectification.