Proximity Effect Transfer from NbTi into a Semiconductor Heterostructure via Epitaxial Aluminum

Nano Lett. 2017 Feb 8;17(2):1200-1203. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b04964. Epub 2017 Jan 17.

Abstract

We demonstrate the transfer of the superconducting properties of NbTi, a large-gap high-critical-field superconductor, into an InAs heterostructure via a thin intermediate layer of epitaxial Al. Two device geometries, a Josephson junction and a gate-defined quantum point contact, are used to characterize interface transparency and the two-step proximity effect. In the Josephson junction, multiple Andreev reflections reveal near-unity transparency with an induced gap Δ* = 0.50 meV and a critical temperature of 7.8 K. Tunneling spectroscopy yields a hard induced gap in the InAs adjacent to the superconductor of Δ* = 0.43 meV with substructure characteristic of both Al and NbTi.

Keywords: Superconductivity; epitaxial aluminum; indium arsenide; niobium titanium; proximity effect; two-dimensional electron gas.

Publication types

  • Letter
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't