Large Magnetoresistance of a Dilute $p$-Si/SiGe/Si Quantum Well in a Parallel Magnetic Field

I. L. Drichko, I. Yu. Smirnov, A. V. Suslov, O. A. Mironov, D. R. Leadley

Published 2008-07-17, updated 2009-04-27Version 2

We report the results of an experimental study of the magnetoresistance $\rho_{xx}$ in two samples of $p$-Si/SiGe/Si with low carrier concentrations $p$=8.2$\times10^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$ and $p$=2$\times10^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$. The research was performed in the temperature range of 0.3-2 K in the magnetic fields of up to 18 T, parallel to the two-dimensional (2D) channel plane at two orientations of the in-plane magnetic field $B_{\parallel}$ against the current $I$: $B_{\parallel} \perp I$ and $B_{\parallel} \parallel I$. In the sample with the lowest density in the magnetic field range of 0-7.2 T the temperature dependence of $\rho_{xx}$ demonstrates the metallic characteristics ($d \rho_{xx}/dT>$0). However, at $B_{\parallel}$ =7.2 T the derivative $d \rho_{xx}/dT$ reverses the sign. Moreover, the resistance depends on the current orientation with respect to the in-plane magnetic field. At $B_{\parallel} \cong$ 13 T there is a transition from the dependence $\ln(\Delta\rho_{xx} / \rho_{0})\propto B_{\parallel}^2$ to the dependence $\ln(\Delta\rho_{xx} / \rho_{0})\propto B_{\parallel}$. The observed effects can be explained by the influence of the in-plane magnetic field on the orbital motion of the charge carriers in the quasi-2D system.