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Related Concept Videos

Superconductor01:24

Superconductor

1.8K
A substance that reaches superconductivity, a state in which magnetic fields cannot penetrate, and there is no electrical resistance, is referred to as a superconductor. In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University, a Dutch physicist, observed a relation between the temperature and the resistance of the element mercury. The mercury sample was then cooled in liquid helium to study the linear dependence of resistance on temperature. It was observed that, as the temperature decreased, the...
1.8K
Types Of Superconductors01:28

Types Of Superconductors

1.6K
A superconductor is a substance that offers zero resistance to the electric current when it drops below a critical temperature. Zero resistance is not the only interesting phenomenon as materials reach their transition temperatures. A second effect is the exclusion of magnetic fields. This is known as the Meissner effect. A light, permanent magnet placed over a superconducting sample will levitate in a stable position above the superconductor. High-speed trains that levitate on strong...
1.6K
Semiconductors01:22

Semiconductors

1.5K
There is variation in the electrical conductivity of materials - metals, semiconductors, and insulators that are showcased with the help of the energy band diagrams.
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
1.5K
Types of Semiconductors01:20

Types of Semiconductors

1.5K
Intrinsic semiconductors are highly pure materials with no impurities. At absolute zero, these semiconductors behave as perfect insulators because all the valence electrons are bound, and the conduction band is empty, disallowing electrical conduction. The Fermi level is a concept used to describe the probability of occupancy of energy levels by electrons at thermal equilibrium. In intrinsic semiconductors, the Fermi level is positioned at the midpoint of the energy gap at absolute zero. When...
1.5K
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions01:24

Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

1.0K
The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
1.0K
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions01:27

Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

606
Biasing metal-semiconductor junctions involves applying a voltage across the junction. Specifically, the metal is connected to a voltage source, while the semiconductor is grounded. This technique is essential for controlling the direction and magnitude of current flow in electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, and photovoltaic cells.
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
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Related Experiment Video

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Analysis of Contact Interfaces for Single GaN Nanowire Devices
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Selective-Area Superconductor Epitaxy to Ballistic Semiconductor Nanowires.

Stephen T Gill, Jeff Damasco, Blanka E Janicek

  • 1QuTech and Kavli Institute of NanoScience , Delft University of Technology , 2600 GA Delft , The Netherlands.

Nano Letters
|September 12, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Selective-area epitaxy of aluminum (Al) to indium antimonide (InSb) nanowires creates hard superconducting gaps. This breakthrough enables ballistic superconductivity and near-perfect supercurrent transmission for topological quantum computing applications.

Keywords:
Epitaxyaluminumballistic transportindium antiminoidenanowiressupercondivity

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Area of Science:

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Quantum Computing

Background:

  • Semiconductor nanowires (e.g., InAs, InSb) are key for studying Majorana zero modes and topological quantum computing.
  • Existing hybrid superconductor-nanowire systems suffer from disorder, particularly interfacial inhomogeneity, leading to soft superconducting gaps and mimicking Majorana signatures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To overcome disorder issues in semiconductor-nanowire superconductor systems.
  • To develop a technique for creating high-quality hybrid devices for topological quantum computing.

Main Methods:

  • Development of selective-area epitaxy for aluminum (Al) deposition onto indium antimonide (InSb) nanowires.
  • Fabrication and characterization of epitaxial InSb-Al devices, including superconducting islands.

Main Results:

  • Epitaxial InSb-Al devices exhibit hard superconducting gaps, resolving the soft gap issue.
  • Demonstrated ballistic 1D superconductivity and near-perfect supercurrent transmission in the single-mode regime.
  • Achieved micron-scale ballistic 1D transport in epitaxial InSb-Al superconducting island devices.

Conclusions:

  • Selective-area epitaxy provides a viable route to high-quality semiconductor-superconductor interfaces.
  • These improved devices are essential building blocks for advancing topological quantum computing.
  • The developed technique is applicable to other nanowire and superconductor systems, paving the way for networks of ballistic superconducting electronics.