Unconventional Correlation between Quantum Hall Transport Quantization and Bulk State Filling in Gated Graphene Devices

Phys Rev Lett. 2016 Oct 28;117(18):186601. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.186601. Epub 2016 Oct 27.

Abstract

We report simultaneous transport and scanning microwave impedance microscopy to examine the correlation between transport quantization and filling of the bulk Landau levels in the quantum Hall regime in gated graphene devices. Surprisingly, a comparison of these measurements reveals that quantized transport typically occurs below the complete filling of bulk Landau levels, when the bulk is still conductive. This result points to a revised understanding of transport quantization when carriers are accumulated by gating. We discuss the implications on transport study of the quantum Hall effect in graphene and related topological states in other two-dimensional electron systems.