Ultrabroadband nonlinear Hall rectifier using SnTe

Abstract

The rapid expansion of self-powered electronics in the Internet of Things, 6G communication and millimetre-wave systems calls for rectifiers capable of operating across ultrabroadband frequencies and at extremely low input power levels. However, conventional rectifiers based on semiconductor junctions face fundamental limitations such as parasitic capacitance and threshold voltages, preventing effective operation under broadband and ambient radio-frequency conditions. Here we present an ultrabroadband, zero-bias rectifier based on the nonlinear Hall effect in wafer-scale (001)-oriented topological crystalline insulator SnTe thin film. This material exhibits a large second-order conductivity of ~0.004 Ω⁻¹ V⁻¹, surpassing that of other wafer-scale materials. The nonlinear Hall effect arises primarily from a Berry curvature dipole, evidenced by angular-resolved transport measurements and first-principles calculations. The device demonstrates rectification from 23 MHz to 1 THz, with sensitivity down to –60 dBm in key radio-frequency bands, without any external bias. Rectified output power is scalable through series- and parallel-array topologies and can be enhanced using rectenna designs. As a proof of concept, we achieve the wireless powering of a thermistor using harvested radio-frequency energy, validating the potential of this material platform and nonlinear Hall effect for next-generation energy-autonomous microsystems.