Anomalous superconductivity in twisted MoTe <sub>2</sub> nanojunctions

Introducing superconductivity in topological materials can lead to innovative electronic phases and device functionalities. Here, we present a unique strategy for quantum engineering of superconducting junctions in moiré materials through direct, on-chip, and fully encapsulated 2D crystal growth. We achieve robust and designable superconductivity in Pd-metalized twisted bilayer molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe<sub>2</sub>) and observe anomalous superconducting effects in high-quality junctions across ~20 moiré cells. Unexpectedly, the junction develops enhanced, instead of weakened, superconducting behaviors, exhibiting fluctuations to a higher critical magnetic field compared to its adjacent Pd<sub>7</sub>MoTe<sub>2</sub> superconductor. In addition, the critical current further exhibits a notable V-shaped minimum at zero magnetic field. These features are unexpected in conventional Josephson junctions and absent in junctions of natural bilayer MoTe<sub>2</sub> created using the same approach. We discuss implications of these observations, including the possible formation of mixed even- and odd-parity superconductivity at the moiré junctions. Our results also demonstrate a pathway to engineer and investigate superconductivity in fractional Chern insulators.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2025-01-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adq5712
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Topological Materials and Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
7.48

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article

Anomalous superconductivity in twisted MoTe 2 nanojunctions

Yue Tang, Ayelet J. Uzan-Narovlansky, Connor J. Pollak, Guangming Cheng et al.
6 citations
Science Advances
Topological Materials and Phenomena
7.48
article

Anomalous superconductivity in twisted MoTe 2 nanojunctions

Yue Tang, Ayelet J. Uzan-Narovlansky, Connor J. Pollak, Guangming Cheng, Leslie Mareike Schoop, Tiancheng Song, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Sanfeng Wu, N. P. Ong, Michael Onyszczak, Fang Yuan, Yanyu Jia, Shiming Lei, Nan Yao, Zhaoyi Joy Zheng, Guo Yu
article en
6 citations

Abstract

Introducing superconductivity in topological materials can lead to innovative electronic phases and device functionalities. Here, we present a unique strategy for quantum engineering of superconducting junctions in moiré materials through direct, on-chip, and fully encapsulated 2D crystal growth. We achieve robust and designable superconductivity in Pd-metalized twisted bilayer molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe<sub>2</sub>) and observe anomalous superconducting effects in high-quality junctions across ~20 moiré cells. Unexpectedly, the junction develops enhanced, instead of weakened, superconducting behaviors, exhibiting fluctuations to a higher critical magnetic field compared to its adjacent Pd<sub>7</sub>MoTe<sub>2</sub> superconductor. In addition, the critical current further exhibits a notable V-shaped minimum at zero magnetic field. These features are unexpected in conventional Josephson junctions and absent in junctions of natural bilayer MoTe<sub>2</sub> created using the same approach. We discuss implications of these observations, including the possible formation of mixed even- and odd-parity superconductivity at the moiré junctions. Our results also demonstrate a pathway to engineer and investigate superconductivity in fractional Chern insulators.

Science AdvancesVol. 11(5)
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HK), Princeton University (US), National Institute for Materials Science (JP)
Division of Materials Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Topological Materials and Phenomena
7.48
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