On‐Chip Andreev Devices: Hard Superconducting Gap and Quantum Transport in Ballistic Nb–In0.75Ga0.25As‐Quantum‐Well–Nb Josephson Junctions. Issue 37 (14th August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Delfanazari, Kaveh; Puddy, Reuben K.; Ma, Pengcheng; Yi, Teng; Cao, Moda; Gul, Yilmaz; Farrer, Ian; Ritchie, David A.; Joyce, Hannah J.; Kelly, Michael J.; Smith, Charles G.
• Is Part Of: Advanced materials. Volume 29:Issue 37(2017)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2017-08-14
• Subjects: hybrid superconductor–semiconductor junctions -- Josephson junctions -- quantum computing -- topological superconductivity; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201701836
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0935-9648

Abstract

Abstract : A superconducting hard gap in hybrid superconductor–semiconductor devices has been found to be necessary to access topological superconductivity that hosts Majorana modes (non‐Abelian excitation). This requires the formation of homogeneous and barrier‐free interfaces between the superconductor and semiconductor. Here, a new platform is reported for topological superconductivity based on hybrid Nb–In0.75 Ga0.25 As‐quantum‐well–Nb that results in hard superconducting gap detection in symmetric, planar, and ballistic Josephson junctions. It is shown that with careful etching, sputtered Nb films can make high‐quality and transparent contacts to the In0.75 Ga0.25 As quantum well, and the differential resistance and critical current measurements of these devices are discussed as a function of temperature and magnetic field. It is demonstrated that proximity‐induced superconductivity in the In0.75 Ga0.25 As‐quantum‐well 2D electron gas results in the detection of a hard gap in four out of seven junctions on a chip with critical current values of up to 0.2 µA and transmission probabilities of >0.96. The results, together with the large g ‐factor and Rashba spin–orbit coupling in In0.75 Ga0.25 As quantum wells, which indeed can be tuned by the indium composition, suggest that the Nb–In0.75 Ga0.25 As–Nb system can be an excellent candidate to achieve topological phase and to realize hybrid topological superconducting devices. Abstract : The proximity‐induced superconductivity in a high‐mobility 2D electron gas in an indium gallium arsenide (In0.75 Ga0.25 As) quantum well is reported. The result opens a new road toward hybrid topological quantum systems and helps pave the way for the development of on‐chip Andreev devices for realizing the next generation of quantum processors.