Multiband superconductivity in strongly hybridized 1T′-WTe2/NbSe2 heterostructures

The interplay of topology and superconductivity has become a subject of intense research in condensed-matter physics for the pursuit of topologically nontrivial forms of superconducting pairing. An intrinsically normal-conducting material can inherit superconductivity via electrical contact to a parent superconductor via the proximity effect, usually understood as Andreev reflection at the interface between the distinct electronic structures of two separate conductors. However, at high interface transparency, strong coupling inevitably leads to changes in the band structure, locally, owing to hybridization of electronic states. Here, we investigate such strongly proximity-coupled heterostructures of monolayer 1T'-WTe2, grown on NbSe2 by van der Waals epitaxy. The superconducting local density of states, resolved in scanning tunneling spectroscopy down to 500 mK, reflects a hybrid electronic structure well described by a multiband framework based on the McMillan equations which captures the multiband superconductivity inherent to the NbSe2 substrate and that is induced by proximity to WTe2, self-consistently. Our material-specific tight-binding model captures the hybridized heterostructure quantitatively and confirms that strong interlayer hopping gives rise to a semimetallic density of states in the two-dimensional WTe2 bulk, even for nominally band-insulating crystals. The model further accurately predicts the measured order parameter Delta similar or equal to 0.6 meV induced in the WTe2 monolayer bulk, stable beyond a 2 T magnetic field. We believe that our detailed multiband analysis of the hybrid electronic structure provides a useful tool for sensitive spatial mapping of induced order parameters in proximitized atomically thin topological materials.

Automated summary

The study investigates the strongly proximity-coupled heterostructures of monolayer 1T'-WTe2 grown on NbSe2, revealing a hybrid electronic structure with multiband superconductivity induced by proximity to WTe2. A material-specific tight-binding model quantitatively captures the hybridized heterostructure and accurately predicts the induced order parameter in the WTe2 monolayer bulk. The detailed multiband analysis of the hybrid electronic structure provides a useful tool for spatial mapping of induced order parameters in atomically thin topological materials.