Journal
NANO LETTERS
Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 2690-2696Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b00540
Keywords
Majorana; topological superconductivity; hard gap; InSb; semiconductor nanowire; hybrid device
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Funding
- Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
- Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM)
- European Research Council (ERC)
- Office of Naval Research [ONR N00014-16-1-2270]
- Microsoft Corporation Station Q
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Topological superconductivity is a state of matter that can host Majorana modes, the building blocks of a topological quantum computer. Many experimental platforms predicted to show such a topological state rely on proximity induced superconductivity. However, accessing the topological properties requires an induced hard superconducting gap, which is challenging to achieve for most material systems. We have systematically studied how the interface between an InSb semiconductor nanowire and a NbTiN superconductor affects the induced superconducting properties. Step by step, we improve the homogeneity of the interface while ensuring a barrier-free electrical contact to the superconductor and obtain a hard gap in the InSb nanowire. The magnetic field stability of NbTiN allows the InSb nanowire to maintain a hard gap and a supercurrent in the presence of magnetic fields (similar to 0.5 T), a requirement for topological superconductivity in one-dimensional systems. Our study provides a guideline to induce superconductivity in various experimental platforms such as semiconductor nanowires, two-dimensional electron gases, and topological insulators and holds relevance for topological superconductivity and quantum computation.
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