The introduction of superconductivity to the Dirac surface states of a topological insulator leads to a topological superconductor, which may support topological quantum computing through Majorana zero modes. The development of a scalable material platform is key to the realization of topological quantum computing. Here we report on the growth and properties of high-quality (Bi,Sb)Te/graphene/gallium heterostructures. Our synthetic approach enables atomically sharp layers at both hetero-interfaces, which in turn promotes proximity-induced superconductivity that originates in the gallium film. A lithography-free, van der Waals tunnel junction is developed to perform transport tunnelling spectroscopy. We find a robust, proximity-induced superconducting gap formed in the Dirac surface states in 5-10 quintuple-layer (Bi,Sb)Te/graphene/gallium heterostructures. The presence of a single Abrikosov vortex, where the Majorana zero modes are expected to reside, manifests in discrete conductance changes. The present material platform opens up opportunities for understanding and harnessing the application potential of topological superconductivity.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01478-4DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

proximity-induced superconductivity
8
dirac surface
8
surface states
8
topological quantum
8
quantum computing
8
majorana modes
8
material platform
8
bisbte/graphene/gallium heterostructures
8
topological
6
superconductivity epitaxial
4

Similar Publications

Mapping the Topological Proximity-Induced Gap in Multiterminal Josephson Junctions.

Phys Rev Lett

December 2024

Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.

Multiterminal Josephson junctions (MTJJs), devices in which a normal metal is in contact with three or more superconducting leads, have been proposed as artificial analogs of topological crystals. The topological nature of MTJJs manifests as a modulation of the quasiparticle density of states (DOS) in the normal metal that may be probed by tunneling measurements. We show that one can reveal this modulation by measuring the resistance of diffusive MTJJs with normal contacts, which shows rich structure as a function of the phase differences {ϕ_{i}}.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Realizing hybrids of low-dimensional Kondo lattices and superconducting substrates leads to fascinating platforms for studying the exciting physics of strongly correlated electron systems with induced superconducting pairing. Here, we report a scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy study of a new type of two-dimensional (2D) La-Ce alloy grown epitaxially on a superconducting Re(0001) substrate. We observe the characteristic spectroscopic signature of a hybridization gap evidencing the coherent spin screening in the 2D Kondo lattice realized by the ultrathin La-Ce alloy film on normal conducting Re(0001).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Hybrid systems show promise for exploring unconventional superconductivity and topological states, but their small size makes them difficult to measure with standard techniques.
  • The authors present a new microwave-based probe to measure superfluid density in micrometer-sized superconductors, revealing a two-fold anisotropic superfluid density in a superconductor-ferromagnet bilayer.
  • The findings suggest a link between spin dynamics and superconductivity, and the technique can potentially be applied to investigate other low-dimensional materials with fragile superconducting properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Time reversal symmetry breaking in superconductors, resulting from external magnetic fields or spontaneous magnetization, often leads to unconventional superconducting properties. In this way, an intrinsic phenomenon called the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state may be realized by the Zeeman effect. Here, we construct the FFLO state in an artificial CrOCl/NbSe van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure by utilizing the superconducting proximity effect of NbSe flakes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Majorana fermion offers fascinating possibilities such as non-Abelian statistics and nonlocal robust qubits, and hunting it is one of the most important topics in current condensed matter physics. Most of the efforts have been focused on the Majorana bound state at zero energy in terms of scanning tunneling spectroscopy searching for the quantized conductance. On the other hand, a chiral Majorana edge channel appears at the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator when engineering an interface between proximity-induced superconductivity and ferromagnetism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!