Chern insulators are two-dimensional magnetic topological materials that
conduct electricity along their edges via the one-dimensional chiral modes. The
number of these modes is a topological invariant called the first Chern number
C, that defines the quantized Hall conductance as Sxyβ=Ce2/h.
Increasing C is pivotal for the realization of low-power-consumption
topological electronics, but there has been no clear-cut solution of this
problem so far, with the majority of existing Chern insulators showing C=1.
Here, by using state-of-the-art theoretical methods, we propose an efficient
approach for the realization of the high-C Chern insulator state in
MnBi2βTe4β/hBN van der Waals multilayer heterostructures. We show that a
stack of n MnBi2βTe4β films with C=1 intercalated by hBN monolayers
gives rise to a high Chern number state with C=n, characterized by n chiral
edge modes. This state can be achieved both under the external magnetic field
and without it, both cases leading to the quantized Hall conductance Sxyβ=Ce2/h. Our results therefore pave way to practical high-C quantized Hall
systems.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure