Hard gap in epitaxial semiconductor-superconductor nanowires
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Hard gap in epitaxial semiconductor-superconductor nanowires. / Chang, W.; Albrecht, S. M.; Jespersen, T. S.; Kuemmeth, Ferdinand; Krogstrup, Peter; Nygård, J.; Marcus, Charles M.
In: Nature Nanotechnology, Vol. 10, No. 3, 2015, p. 232-236.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Hard gap in epitaxial semiconductor-superconductor nanowires
AU - Chang, W.
AU - Albrecht, S. M.
AU - Jespersen, T. S.
AU - Kuemmeth, Ferdinand
AU - Krogstrup, Peter
AU - Nygård, J.
AU - Marcus, Charles M.
N1 - [QDev]
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Many present and future applications of superconductivity would benefit from electrostatic control of carrier density and tunneling rates, the hallmark of semiconductor devices. One particularly exciting application is the realization of topological superconductivity as a basis for quantum information processing. Proposals in this direction based on proximity effect in semiconductor nanowires are appealing because the key ingredients are currently in hand. However, previous instances of proximitized semiconductors show significant tunneling conductance below the superconducting gap, suggesting a continuum of subgap states---a situation that nullifies topological protection. Here, we report a hard superconducting gap induced by proximity effect in a semiconductor, using epitaxial Al-InAs superconductor-semiconductor nanowires. The hard gap, along with favorable material properties and gate-tunability, makes this new hybrid system attractive for a number of applications, as well as fundamental studies of mesoscopic superconductivity.
AB - Many present and future applications of superconductivity would benefit from electrostatic control of carrier density and tunneling rates, the hallmark of semiconductor devices. One particularly exciting application is the realization of topological superconductivity as a basis for quantum information processing. Proposals in this direction based on proximity effect in semiconductor nanowires are appealing because the key ingredients are currently in hand. However, previous instances of proximitized semiconductors show significant tunneling conductance below the superconducting gap, suggesting a continuum of subgap states---a situation that nullifies topological protection. Here, we report a hard superconducting gap induced by proximity effect in a semiconductor, using epitaxial Al-InAs superconductor-semiconductor nanowires. The hard gap, along with favorable material properties and gate-tunability, makes this new hybrid system attractive for a number of applications, as well as fundamental studies of mesoscopic superconductivity.
KW - cond-mat.mes-hall
KW - cond-mat.mtrl-sci
KW - cond-mat.supr-con
U2 - 10.1038/nnano.2014.306
DO - 10.1038/nnano.2014.306
M3 - Journal article
VL - 10
SP - 232
EP - 236
JO - Nature Nanotechnology
JF - Nature Nanotechnology
SN - 1748-3387
IS - 3
ER -
ID: 130515530