Proximity-induced superconductivity in (Bi${}_{1-x}$Sb${}_x$)${}_2$Te${}_3$ topological-insulator nanowires

Abstract

When a topological insulator is made into a nanowire, the interplay between topology and size quantization gives rise to peculiar one-dimensional states whose energy dispersion can be manipulated by external fields. In the presence of proximity-induced superconductivity, these 1D states offer a tunable platform for Majorana zero modes. While the existence of such peculiar 1D states has been experimentally confirmed, the realization of robust proximity-induced superconductivity in topological-insulator nanowires remains a challenge. Here, we report the realization of superconducting topological-insulator nanowires based on (Bi${}_{1-x}$Sb${}_x$)${}_2$Te${}_3$ (BST) thin films. When two rectangular pads of palladium are deposited on a BST thin film with a separation of 100--200 nm, the BST beneath the pads is converted into a superconductor, leaving a nanowire of BST in-between. We found that the interface is epitaxial and has a high electronic transparency, leading to a robust superconductivity induced in the BST nanowire. Due to its suitable geometry for gate-tuning, this platform is promising for future studies of Majorana zero modes.

arXiv comment33 pages total; 22 pages of main text with 4 figures, 11 pages of supplementary information with 8 figures. This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections

References in corpus (26)

• Superconducting proximity effect and Majorana fermions at the surface of a topological insulator
• Evidence of topological superconductivity in planar Josephson junctions
• $4\pi$-periodic Josephson supercurrent in HgTe-based topological Josephson junctions
• Spin-filtered Edge States with an Electrically Tunable Gap in a Two-Dimensional Topological Crystalline Insulator
• Topological Superconductivity in a Phase-Controlled Josephson Junction
• Gapless Andreev bound states in the quantum spin Hall insulator HgTe
• Majorana Fermions in Proximity-coupled Topological Insulator Nanowires
• Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in disordered topological insulator nanowires
• Anomalous Aharonov-Bohm conductance oscillations from topological insulator surface states
• Dynamical detection of Majorana fermions in current-biased nanowires
• Aharonov-Bohm Oscillations in a Quasi-Ballistic 3D Topological Insulator Nanowire
• Magnetic field induced helical mode and topological transitions in a quasi-ballistic topological insulator nanoribbon with circumferentially quantized surface state sub-bands
• Proximity and Josephson effects in superconductor - two dimensional electron gas planar junctions
• Tunnelling Spectroscopy of Andreev States in Graphene
• Missing Shapiro steps in topologically trivial Josephson Junction on InAs quantum well
• Josephson junction dynamics in the presence of $2\pi$- and $4\pi$-periodic supercurrents
• Probing Spin Helical Surface States in Topological HgTe Nanowires
• Quantum interference and supercurrent in multiple-barrier proximity structures
• Giant magnetochiral anisotropy from quantum confined surface states of topological insulator nanowires
• Anomalous Fraunhofer patterns in gated Josephson junctions based on the bulk-insulating topological insulator BiSbTeSe2
• Quantum confinement of the Dirac surface states in topological-insulator nanowires
• Joule overheating poisons the fractional ac Josephson effect in topological Josephson junctions
• Pseudo-ballistic transport in 3D topological insulator quantum wires
• Majorana bound states in topological insulators without a vortex
• Novel self-epitaxy for inducing superconductivity in the topological insulator (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3
• Gate-induced decoupling of surface and bulk state properties in selectively-deposited Bi${}_2$Te${}_3$ nanoribbons

Cited by in corpus (17)

• Top-down fabrication of bulk-insulating topological insulator nanowires for quantum devices
• Topological superconductivity in Fibonacci quasicrystals
• Robust and fragile Majorana bound states in proximitized topological insulator nanoribbons
• Transparent Josephson Junctions in Higher-Order Topological Insulator WTe2 via Pd Diffusion
• Fractional AC Josephson effect in a topological insulator proximitized by a self-formed superconductor
• Atomic diffusion-induced polarization and superconductivity in topological insulator-based heterostructures
• AC Josephson effect in a gate-tunable Cd${}_3$As${}_2$ nanowire superconducting weak link
• Long-range crossed Andreev reflection in topological insulator nanowires proximitized by a superconductor
• Low-energy modeling of three-dimensional topological insulator nanostructures
• Missing odd-order Shapiro steps do not uniquely indicate fractional Josephson effect
• Edge supercurrent in Josephson junctions based on topological materials
• Current-phase relation of a short multi-mode Bi2Se3 topological insulator nanoribbon Josephson junction with ballistic transport modes
• Time-dependent driving and topological protection in the fractional Josephson effect
• Ubiquitous missing first Shapiro step in Al-InSb nanosheet Josephson junctions
• Aharanov-Bohm oscillations and perfectly transmitted mode in amorphous topological insulator nanowires
• Long-range Cooper pair splitting by chiral Majorana edge states
• Superconducting PdTe Thin Film Via Topotactic Transformation, Toward Topological Superconductors