Controlled fabrication and electrical properties of long quasi-one-dimensional superconducting nanowire arrays

Signature of quantum Griffiths singularity state in a layered quasi-one-dimensional superconductor

Quantum Griffiths singularity was theoretically proposed to interpret the phenomenon of divergent dynamical exponent in quantum phase transitions. It has been discovered experimentally in three-dimensional (3D) magnetic metal systems and two-dimensional (2D) superconductors. But, whether this state exists in lower dimensional systems remains elusive. Here, we report the signature of quantum Griffiths singularity state in quasi-one-dimensional (1D) Ta2PdS5 nanowires. The superconducting critical field shows a strong anisotropic behavior and a violation of the Pauli limit in a parallel magnetic field configuration. Current-voltage measurements exhibit hysteresis loops and a series of multiple voltage steps in transition to the normal state, indicating a quasi-1D nature of the superconductivity. Surprisingly, the nanowire undergoes a superconductor-metal transition when the magnetic field increases. Upon approaching the zero-temperature quantum critical point, the system uncovers the signature of the quantum Griffiths singularity state arising from enhanced quenched disorders, where the dynamical critical exponent becomes diverging rather than being constant.

Vertical Growth of Superconducting Crystalline Hollow Nanowires by He+ Focused Ion Beam Induced Deposition

Novel physical properties appear when the size of a superconductor is reduced to the nanoscale, in the range of its superconducting coherence length (ξ₀). Such nanosuperconductors are being investigated for potential applications in nanoelectronics and quantum computing. The design of three-dimensional nanosuperconductors allows one to conceive novel schemes for such applications. Here, we report for the first time the use of a He⁺ focused-ion-beam-microscope in combination with the W(CO)₆ precursor to grow three-dimensional superconducting hollow nanowires as small as 32 nm in diameter and with an aspect ratio (length/diameter) of as much as 200. Such extreme resolution is achieved by using a small He⁺ beam spot of 1 nm for the growth of the nanowires. As shown by transmission electron microscopy, they display grains of large size fitting with face-centered cubic WC_1-x phase. The nanowires, which are grown vertically to the substrate, are felled on the substrate by means of a nanomanipulator for their electrical characterization. They become superconducting at 6.4 K and show large critical magnetic field and critical current density resulting from their quasi-one-dimensional superconducting character. These results pave the way for future nanoelectronic devices based on three-dimensional nanosuperconductors.

Strongly Coupled High-Quality Graphene/2D Superconducting Mo2C Vertical Heterostructures with Aligned Orientation

Vertical heterostructures of two-dimensional (2D) crystals have led to the observations of numerous exciting physical phenomena and presented the possibilities for technological applications, which strongly depend on the quality, interface, relative alignment, and interaction of the neighboring 2D crystals. The heterostructures or hybrids of graphene and superconductors offer a very interesting platform to study mesoscopic superconductivity and the interplay of the quantum Hall effect with superconductivity. However, so far the heterostructures of graphene and 2D superconductors are fabricated by stacking, and consequently suffer from random relative alignment, weak interfacial interaction, and unavoidable interface contaminants. Here we report the direct growth of high-quality graphene/2D superconductor (nonlayered ultrathin α-Mo₂C crystal) vertical heterostructures with uniformly well-aligned lattice orientation and strong interface coupling by chemical vapor deposition. In the heterostructure, both graphene and 2D α-Mo₂C crystal show no defect, and the graphene is strongly compressed. Different from the previously reported graphene/superconductor heterostructures or hybrids, the strong interface coupling leads to a phase diagram of superconducting transition with multiple voltage steps being observed in the transition regime. Furthermore, we demonstrate the realization of highly transparent Josephson junction devices based on these strongly coupled high-quality heterostructures, in which a clear magnetic-field-induced Fraunhofer pattern of the critical supercurrent is observed.

Dramatic enhancement of superconductivity in single-crystalline nanowire arrays of Sn

Sn is a classical superconductor on the border between type I and type II with critical temperature of 3.7 K. We show that its critical parameters can be dramatically increased if it is brought in the form of loosely bound bundles of thin nanowires. The specific heat displays a pronounced double phase transition at 3.7 K and 5.5 K, which we attribute to the inner ‘bulk’ contribution of the nanowires and to the surface contribution, respectively. The latter is visible only because of the large volume fraction of the surface layer in relation to the bulk volume. The upper transition coincides with the onset of the resistive transition, while zero resistance is gradually approached below the lower transition. In contrast to the low critical field H_c = 0.03 T of Sn in its bulk form, a magnetic field of more than 3 T is required to fully restore the normal state.

Superconductor-insulator transition in quasi-one-dimensional single-crystal Nb₂PdS₅ nanowires

Superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in one-dimensional (1D) nanowires attracts great attention in the past decade and remains an open question since contrasting results were reported in nanowires with different morphologies (i.e., granular, polycrystalline, or amorphous) or environments. Nb2PdS5 is a recently discovered low-dimensional superconductor with typical quasi-1D chain structure. By decreasing the wire diameter in the range of 100-300 nm, we observed a clear SIT with a 1D transport character driven by both the cross-sectional area and external magnetic field. We also found that the upper critical magnetic field (Hc2) decreases with the reduction of nanowire cross-sectional area. The temperature dependence of the resistance below Tc can be described by the thermally activated phase slip (TAPS) theory without any signature of quantum phase slips (QPS). These findings demonstrated that the enhanced Coulomb interactions with the shrinkage of the wire diameter competes with the interchain Josephson-like coupling may play a crucial role on the SIT in quasi-1D system.

"Giant" enhancement of the upper critical field and fluctuations above the bulk Tc in superconducting ultrathin lead nanowire arrays

We have produced ultrathin lead (Pb) nanowires in the 6 nm pores of SBA-15 mesoporous silica substrates by chemical vapor deposition. The nanowires form regular and dense arrays. We demonstrate that bulk Pb (a type-I superconductor below Tc = 7.2 K with a critical field of 800 Oe) can be tailored by nanostructuring to become a type-II superconductor with an upper critical field (Hc2) exceeding 15 T and signs of Cooper pairing 3-4 K above the bulk Tc. The material undergoes a crossover from a one-dimensional fluctuating superconducting state at high temperatures to three-dimensional long-range-ordered superconductivity in the low-temperature regime. We show with our data in an impressive way that superconductivity in elemental metals can be greatly enhanced by nanostructuring.

Superconductor-insulator transition in long MoGe nanowires

The properties of one-dimensional superconducting wires depend on physical processes with different characteristic lengths. To identify the process dominant in the critical regime we have studied the transport properties of very narrow (9-20 nm) MoGe wires fabricated by advanced electron-beam lithography in a wide range of lengths, 1-25  μm. We observed that the wires undergo a superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) that is controlled by cross sectional area of a wire and possibly also by the width-to-thickness ratio. The mean-field critical temperature decreases exponentially with the inverse of the wire cross section. We observed that a qualitatively similar superconductor-insulator transition can be induced by an external magnetic field. Our results are not consistent with any currently known theory of the SIT. Some long superconducting MoGe nanowires can be identified as localized superconductors; namely, in these wires the one-electron localization length is much smaller than the length of a wire.

Achieving the theoretical depairing current limit in superconducting nanomesh films

We show the theoretical depairing current limit can be achieved in a robust fashion in highly ordered superconductor nanomesh films having spatial periodicities smaller than both the superconducting coherence length and the magnetic penetration depth. For a niobium nanomesh film with 34 nm spatial periodicity, the experimental critical current density is enhanced by more than 17 times over the continuous film and is in good agreement with the depairing limit over the entire measured temperature range. The nanomesh superconductors are also less susceptible to thermal fluctuations when compared to nanowire superconductors. T(c) values similar to the bulk film are achieved, and the nanomeshes are capable of retaining superconductivity to higher fields relative to the bulk. In addition, periodic oscillations in T(c) are observed as a function of field, reflecting the highly ordered nanomesh structure.

Superlattice nanowire pattern transfer (SNAP)

During the past 15 years or so, nanowires (NWs) have emerged as a new and distinct class of materials. Their novel structural and physical properties separate them from wires that can be prepared using the standard methods for manufacturing electronics. NW-based applications that range from traditional electronic devices (logic and memory) to novel biomolecular and chemical sensors, thermoelectric materials, and optoelectronic devices, all have appeared during the past few years. From a fundamental perspective, NWs provide a route toward the investigation of new physics in confined dimensions. Perhaps the most familiar fabrication method is the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth technique, which produces semiconductor nanowires as bulk materials. However, other fabrication methods exist and have their own advantages. In this Account, I review a particular class of NWs produced by an alternative method called superlattice nanowire pattern transfer (SNAP). The SNAP method is distinct from other nanowire preparation methods in several ways. It can produce large NW arrays from virtually any thin-film material, including metals, insulators, and semiconductors. The dimensions of the NWs can be controlled with near-atomic precision, and NW widths and spacings can be as small as a few nanometers. In addition, SNAP is almost fully compatible with more traditional methods for manufacturing electronics. The motivation behind the development of SNAP was to have a general nanofabrication method for preparing electronics-grade circuitry, but one that would operate at macromolecular dimensions and with access to a broad materials set. Thus, electronics applications, including novel demultiplexing architectures; large-scale, ultrahigh-density memory circuits; and complementary symmetry nanowire logic circuits, have served as drivers for developing various aspects of the SNAP method. Some of that work is reviewed here. As the SNAP method has evolved into a robust nanofabrication method, it has become an enabling tool for the investigation of new physics. In particular, the application of SNAP toward understanding heat transport in low-dimensional systems is discussed. This work has led to the surprising discovery that Si NWs can serve as highly efficient thermoelectric materials. Finally, we turn toward the application of SNAP to the investigation of quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) superconducting physics in extremely high aspect ratio Nb NWs.

Long, highly-ordered high-temperature superconductor nanowire arrays

The preparation and electrical properties of high-temperature superconductor nanowire arrays are reported for the first time. YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) nanowires with widths as small as 10 nm (much smaller than the magnetic penetration depth) and lengths up to 200 microm are studied by four-point electrical measurements. All nanowires exhibit a superconducting transition above liquid nitrogen temperature and a transition temperature width that depends strongly upon the nanowire dimensions. Nanowire size effects are systematically studied, and the results are modeled satisfactorily using phase-slip theories that generate reasonable parameters. These nanowires can function as superconducting nanoelectronic components over much wider temperature ranges as compared to conventional superconductor nanowires.

Peptide-nanowire hybrid materials for selective sensing of small molecules

The development of a miniaturized sensing platform for the selective detection of chemical odorants could stimulate exciting scientific and technological opportunities. Oligopeptides are robust substrates for the selective recognition of a variety of chemical and biological species. Likewise, semiconducting nanowires are extremely sensitive gas sensors. Here we explore the possibilities and chemistries of linking peptides to silicon nanowire sensors for the selective detection of small molecules. The silica surface of the nanowires is passivated with peptides using amide coupling chemistry. The peptide/nanowire sensors can be designed, through the peptide sequence, to exhibit orthogonal responses to acetic acid and ammonia vapors, and can detect traces of these gases from "chemically camouflaged" mixtures. Through both theory and experiment, we find that this sensing selectivity arises from both acid/base reactivity and from molecular structure. These results provide a model platform for what can be achieved in terms of selective and sensitive "electronic noses."