Fractional AC Josephson effect in a topological insulator proximitized by a self-formed superconductor
Josephson junctions with topological weak links should support Majorana bound states, yet are challenging to fabricate without damaging the topological material. Here, the authors evaporate a noble metal onto a (BiSb)${}_{2}$Te${}_{3}$ topological insulator that chemically reacts, creating a self-formed superconductor while minimizing damage. The interface between the superconductor and untouched (BiSb)${}_{2}$Te${}_{3}$ has adequate interface transparency, and the two materials have similar work functions. Under microwave irradiation, they observe suppressed first and third Shapiro steps, which supports the presence of Majorana bound states.
Authors
- Yunzhi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0524-4023)
- Lixuan Tai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5144-7337)
- M. A. Kastner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7641-5438)
- Evgeny Mikheev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2818-5978)
- David Goldhaber‐Gordon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8549-0560)
- J. R. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5196-2440)
- Christie J. Trimble (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1673-2332)
- Molly P. Andersen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1274-9791)
- Ilan T. Rosen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8869-7364)
- Peng Zhang
- Yanbin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6939-1634)
- Kang L. Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9363-1279)
- Yi Cui
Institutions
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (US)
- Joint Quantum Institute (US)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical review. B./Physical review. B
- Published
- 2024-08-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.110.064511
- Citations
- 12
- Primary Topic
- Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.71
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation
- Office of Science
- Army Research Office