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Register a new userGate Controlled Anomalous Phase Shift in Al/InAs Josephson Junctions
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In a standard Josephson junction the current is zero when the phase difference between the superconducting leads is zero. This condition is protected by parity and time-reversal symmetries. However, the combined presence of spin-orbit coupling and magnetic field breaks these symmetries and can lead to a finite supercurrent even when the phase difference is zero. This is the so called anomalous Josephson effect -- the hallmark effect of superconducting spintronics --and can be characterized by the corresponding anomalous phase shift ($phi_0$). We report the observation of a tunable anomalous Josephson effect in InAs/Al Josephson junctions measured via a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). By gate controlling the density of InAs we are able to tune the spin-orbit coupling of the Josephson junction by more than one order of magnitude. This gives us the ability to tune $phi_0$, and opens several new opportunities for superconducting spintronics, and new possibilities for realizing and characterizing topological superconductivity.
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Topological superconductivity holds promise for fault-tolerant quantum computing. While planar Josephson junctions are attractive candidates to realize this exotic state, direct phase-measurements as the fingerprint of the topological transition are missing. By embedding two gate-tunable Al/InAs Josephson junctions in a loop geometry, we measure a $pi$-jump in the junction phase with increasing in-plane magnetic field, ${bf B}_|$. This jump is accompanied by a minimum of the critical current, indicating a closing and reopening of the superconducting gap, strongly anisotropic in ${bf B}_|$. Our theory confirms that these signatures of a topological transition are compatible with the emergence of Majorana states.
One-dimensional Majorana modes are predicated to form in Josephson junctions based on three-dimensional topological insulators (TIs). While observations of supercurrents in Josephson junctions made on bulk-insulating TI samples are recently reported, the Fraunhofer patters observed in such TI-based Josephson junctions, which sometimes present anomalous features, are still not well understood. Here we report our study of highly gate-tunable TI-based Josephson junctions made of one of the most bulk-insulating TI materials, BiSbTeSe2, and Al. The Fermi level can be tuned by gating across the Dirac point, and the high transparency of the Al/BiSbTeSe2 interface is evinced by a high characteristic voltage and multiple Andreev reflections with peak indices reaching 12. Anomalous Fraunhofer patterns with missing lobes were observed in the entire range of gate voltage. We found that, by employing an advanced fitting procedure to use the maximum entropy method in a Monte Carlo algorithm, the anomalous Fraunhofer patterns are explained as a result of inhomogeneous supercurrent distributions on the TI surface in the junction. Besides establishing a highly promising fabrication technology, this work clarifies one of the important open issues regarding TI-based Josephson junctions.
In the past two years, magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene has emerged as a uniquely versatile experimental platform that combines metallic, superconducting, magnetic and insulating phases in a single crystal. In particular the ability to tune the superconducting state with a gate voltage opened up intriguing prospects for novel device functionality. Here we present the first demonstration of a device based on the interplay between two distinct phases in adjustable regions of a single magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene crystal. We electrostatically define the superconducting and insulating regions of a Josephson junction and observe tunable DC and AC Josephson effects. We show that superconductivity is induced in different electronic bands and describe the junction behaviour in terms of these bands, taking in consideration interface effects as well. Shapiro steps, a hallmark of the AC Josephson effect and therefore the formation of a Josephson junction, are observed. This work is an initial step towards devices where separate gate-defined correlated states are connected in single-crystal nanostructures. We envision applications in superconducting electronics and quantum information technology as well as in studies exploring the nature of the superconducting state in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene.
In a family of experiments carried on all-metallic supercurrent nano-transistors a surprising gating effect has been recently shown. These include the full suppression of the critical supercurrent, the increase of quasiparticle population, the manipulation of the superconducting phase, and the broadening of the switching current distributions. Aside from the high potential for future applications, these findings raised fundamental questions on the origin of these phenomena. To date, two complementary hypotheses are under debate: an electrostatically-triggered orbital polarization at the superconductor surface, or the injection of highly-energetic quasiparticles extracted from the gate. Here, we tackle this crucial issue via a fully suspended gate-controlled Ti nano-transistor. Our geometry allows to eliminate any direct injection of quasiparticles through the substrate thereby making cold electron field emission through the vacuum the only possible charge transport mechanism. With the aid of a fully numerical 3D model in combination with the observed phenomenology and thermal considerations we can rule out, with any realistic likelihood, the occurrence of cold electron field emission. Excluding these two trivial phenomena is pivotal in light of understanding the microscopic nature of gating effect in superconducting nanostructures, which represents an unsolved puzzle in contemporary superconductivity. Yet, from the technological point of view, our suspended fabrication technique provides the enabling technology to implement a variety of applications and fundamental studies combining, for instance, superconductivity with nano-mechanics.
Novel physical phenomena arising at the interface of complex oxide heterostructures offer exciting opportunities for the development of future electronic devices. Using the prototypical LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ interface as a model system, we employ a single-step lithographic process to realize gate tunable Josephson junctions through a combination of lateral confinement and local side gating. The action of the side gates is found to be comparable to that of a local back gate, constituting a robust and efficient way to control the properties of the interface at the nanoscale. We demonstrate that the side gates enable reliable tuning of both the normal-state resistance and the critical (Josephson) current of the constrictions. The conductance and Josephson current show mesoscopic fluctuations as a function of the applied side gate voltage, and the analysis of their amplitude enables the extraction of the phase coherence and thermal lengths. Finally, we realize a superconducting quantum interference device in which the critical currents of each of the constriction-type Josephson junctions can be controlled independently via the side gates.
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