Bi2Se3 nanoribbons, grown by catalyst-free Physical Vapor Deposition, have been used to fabricate high quality Josephson junctions with Al superconducting electrodes. The conductance spectra (dI/dV) of the junctions show clear dip-peak structures characteristic of multiple Andreev reflections. The temperature dependence of the dip-peak features reveals a highly transparent Al/Bi2Se3 topological insulator nanoribbon interface and Josephson junction barrier. This is supported by the high values of the Bi2Se3 induced gap and of IcRn (where Ic is the critical current and Rn is the normal resistance of the junction) product both of the order of 160 μeV, a value close to the Al gap. The devices present an extremely low relative resistance noise below 1 × 10−12μm2/Hz comparable to the best Al tunnel junctions, which indicates a high stability in the transmission coefficients of transport channels. The ideal Al/Bi2Se3 interface properties, perfect transparency for Cooper pair transport in conjunction with low resistive noise, make these junctions a suitable platform for further studies of the induced topological superconductivity and Majorana bound states physics.

1.
L.
Fu
and
C. L.
Kane
, “
Superconducting proximity effect and majorana fermions at the surface of a topological insulator
,”
Phys. Rev. Lett.
100
,
096407
(
2008
).
2.
J.
Wiedenmann
,
E.
Bocquillon
,
R. S.
Deacon
,
S.
Hartinger
,
O.
Herrmann
,
T. M.
Klapwijk
,
L.
Maier
,
C.
Ames
,
C.
Brune
,
C.
Gould
,
A.
Oiwa
,
K.
Ishibashi
,
S.
Tarucha
,
H.
Buhmann
, and
L. W.
Molenkamp
, “
4pi-periodic Josephson supercurrent in HgTe-based topological Josephson junctions
,”
Nat. Commun.
7
,
10303
(
2016
).
3.
M.
Snelder
,
M.
Veldhorst
,
A. A.
Golubov
, and
A.
Brinkman
, “
Andreev bound states and current-phase relations in three-dimensional topological insulators
,”
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter Mater. Phys.
87
,
1
7
(
2013
).
4.
C.
Li
,
J. C.
de Boer
,
B.
de Ronde
,
S. V.
Ramankutty
,
E.
van Heumen
,
Y.
Huang
,
A.
de Visser
,
A. A.
Golubov
,
M. S.
Golden
, and
A.
Brinkman
, “
4π-periodic Andreev bound states in a Dirac semimetal
,”
Nat. Mater.
17
,
875
880
(
2018
).
5.
J.
Manousakis
,
A.
Altland
,
D.
Bagrets
,
R.
Egger
, and
Y.
Ando
, “
Majorana qubits in a topological insulator nanoribbon architecture
,”
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter Mater. Phys.
95
,
165424
(
2017
).
6.
A.
Chrestin
,
T.
Matsuyama
, and
U.
Merkt
, “
Evidence for a proximity-induced energy gap in Nb/InAs/Nb junctions
,”
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter Mater. Phys.
55
,
8457
8465
(
1997
).
7.
M.
Kjaergaard
,
H. J.
Suominen
,
M. P.
Nowak
,
A. R.
Akhmerov
,
J.
Shabani
,
C. J.
Palmstrøm
,
F.
Nichele
, and
C. M.
Marcus
, “
Transparent semiconductor-superconductor interface and induced gap in an epitaxial heterostructure Josephson junction
,”
Phys. Rev. Appl.
7
,
034029
(
2017
).
8.
W.
Chang
,
S. M.
Albrecht
,
T. S.
Jespersen
,
F.
Kuemmeth
,
P.
Krogstrup
,
J.
Nygård
, and
C. M.
Marcus
, “
Hard gap in epitaxial semiconductor-superconductor nanowires
,”
Nat. Nanotechnol.
10
,
232
236
(
2015
).
9.
S.
Cho
,
B.
Dellabetta
,
A.
Yang
,
J.
Schneeloch
,
Z.
Xu
,
T.
Valla
,
G.
Gu
,
M. J.
Gilbert
, and
N.
Mason
, “
Symmetry protected Josephson supercurrents in three-dimensional topological insulators
,”
Nat. Commun.
4
,
1686
1689
(
2013
).
10.
L.
Galletti
,
S.
Charpentier
,
M.
Iavarone
,
P.
Lucignano
,
D.
Massarotti
,
R.
Arpaia
,
Y.
Suzuki
,
K.
Kadowaki
,
T.
Bauch
,
A.
Tagliacozzo
,
F.
Tafuri
, and
F.
Lombardi
, “
Influence of topological edge states on the properties of Al/Bi2Se3/Al hybrid Josephson devices
,”
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter Mater. Phys.
89
,
134512
(
2014
).
11.
K. L.
Calvez
,
L.
Veyrat
,
F.
Gay
,
P.
Plaindoux
,
C.
Winkelmann
,
H.
Courtois
, and
B.
Sacépé
, “
Joule overheating poisons the fractional ac Josephson effect in topological Josephson junctions
,”
Commun. Phys.
2
,
4
(
2019
).
12.
D.
Kong
,
J. J.
Cha
,
K.
Lai
,
H.
Peng
,
J. G.
Analytis
,
S.
Meister
,
Y.
Chen
,
H. J.
Zhang
,
I. R.
Fisher
,
Z. X.
Shen
, and
Y.
Cui
, “
Rapid surface oxidation as a source of surface degradation factor for Bi2Se3
,”
ACS Nano
5
,
4698
4703
(
2011
).
13.
J.
Andzane
,
G.
Kunakova
,
S.
Charpentier
,
V.
Hrkac
,
L.
Kienle
,
M.
Baitimirova
,
T.
Bauch
,
F.
Lombardi
, and
D.
Erts
, “
Catalyst-free vapor-solid technique for deposition of Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 nanowires/nanobelts with topological insulator properties
,”
Nanoscale
7
,
15935
(
2015
).
14.
G.
Kunakova
,
L.
Galletti
,
S.
Charpentier
,
J.
Andzane
,
D.
Erts
,
F.
Léonard
,
C. D.
Spataru
,
T.
Bauch
, and
F.
Lombardi
, “
Bulk-free topological insulator Bi2Se3 nanoribbons with magnetotransport signatures of dirac surface states
,”
Nanoscale
10
,
19595
19602
(
2018
).
15.
L.
Galletti
,
S.
Charpentier
,
P.
Lucignano
,
D.
Massarotti
,
R.
Arpaia
,
F.
Tafuri
,
T.
Bauch
,
Y.
Suzuki
,
A.
Tagliacozzo
,
K.
Kadowaki
, and
F.
Lombardi
, “
Josephson effect in Al/Bi2Se3/Al coplanar hybrid devices
,”
Phys. C
503
,
162
165
(
2014
).
16.
L.
Galletti
,
S.
Charpentier
,
Y.
Song
,
D.
Golubev
,
S. M.
Wang
,
T.
Bauch
, and
F.
Lombardi
, “
High-transparency Al/Bi2Te3 double-barrier heterostructures
,”
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
27
,
1800404
(
2017
).
17.
S.
Charpentier
,
L.
Galletti
,
G.
Kunakova
,
R.
Arpaia
,
Y.
Song
,
R.
Baghdadi
,
S. M.
Wang
,
A.
Kalaboukhov
,
E.
Olsson
,
F.
Tafuri
,
D.
Golubev
,
J.
Linder
,
T.
Bauch
, and
F.
Lombardi
, “
Induced unconventional superconductivity on the surface states of Bi2Te3 topological insulator
,”
Nat. Commun.
8
,
2019
(
2017
).
18.
S.
Ghatak
,
O.
Breunig
,
F.
Yang
,
Z.
Wang
,
A. A.
Taskin
, and
Y.
Ando
, “
Anomalous Fraunhofer patterns in gated Josephson junctions based on the bulk-insulating topological insulator BiSbTeSe2
,”
Nano Lett.
18
,
5124
5131
(
2018
).
19.
H.
Courtois
,
M.
Meschke
,
J. T.
Peltonen
, and
J. P.
Pekola
, “
Origin of hysteresis in a proximity Josephson junction
,”
Phys. Rev. Lett.
101
,
1
4
(
2008
).
20.
M. P.
Stehno
,
V.
Orlyanchik
,
C. D.
Nugroho
,
P.
Ghaemi
,
M.
Brahlek
,
N.
Koirala
,
S.
Oh
, and
D. J.
Van Harlingen
, “
Signature of a topological phase transition in the Josephson supercurrent through a topological insulator
,”
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter Mater. Phys.
93
,
1
10
(
2016
).
21.
K.
Flensberg
,
J. B.
Hansen
, and
M.
Octavio
, “
Subharmonic energy-gap structure in superconducting weak links
,”
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter Mater. Phys.
38
,
8707
8711
(
1988
).
22.
A. W.
Kleinsasser
,
R. E.
Miller
,
W. H.
Mallison
, and
G. B.
Arnold
, “
Observation of multiple Andreev reflections in superconducting tunnel junctions
,”
Phys. Rev. Lett.
72
,
1738
1744
(
1994
).
23.
D.
Averin
and
A.
Bardas
, “
Ac Josephson effect in a single quantum channel
,”
Phys. Rev. Lett.
75
,
1831
1834
(
1995
).
24.
B. A.
Aminov
,
A. A.
Golubov
, and
M. Y.
Kupriyanov
, “
Quasiparticle current in ballistic constrictions with finite transparencies of interfaces
,”
Phys. Rev. B
53
,
365
373
(
1996
).
25.
R.
Arpaia
,
M.
Arzeo
,
S.
Nawaz
,
S.
Charpentier
,
F.
Lombardi
, and
T.
Bauch
, “
Ultra low noise YBa2Cu3O7-δ nano superconducting quantum interference devices implementing nanowires
,”
Appl. Phys. Lett.
104
,
072603
(
2016
).
26.
S.
Kogan
,
Electronic Noise and Fluctuations in Solids
(
Cambridge University Press
,
Cambridge
,
1996
).
27.
H.
Zhang
,
Z.-J.
Song
,
J.-Y.
Feng
,
Z.-Q.
Ji
, and
L.
Lu
, “
Low-frequency noise in gate tunable topological insulator nanowire field emission transistor near the dirac point
,”
Chin. Phys. Lett.
33
,
087302
(
2016
).
28.
S.
Bhattacharyya
,
M.
Banerjee
,
H.
Nhalil
,
S.
Islam
,
C.
Dasgupta
,
S.
Elizabeth
, and
A.
Ghosh
, “
Bulk-induced 1/f noise at the surface of three-dimensional topological insulators
,”
ACS Nano
9
,
12529
12536
(
2015
).
29.
D. J.
Van Harlingen
,
T. L.
Robertson
,
B. L. T.
Plourde
,
P. A.
Reichardt
,
T. A.
Crane
, and
J.
Clarke
, “
Decoherence in Josephson-junction qubits due to critical-current fluctuations
,”
Phys. Rev. B
70
,
064517
(
2004
).
30.
E.
Ginossar
and
E.
Grosfeld
, “
Microwave transitions as a signature of coherent parity mixing effects in the majorana-transmon qubit
,”
Nat. Commun.
5
,
4772
(
2014
).
31.
J.
Eroms
,
L. C.
van Schaarenburg
,
E. F. C.
Driessen
,
J. H.
Plantenberg
,
C. M.
Huizinga
,
R. N.
Schouten
,
A. H.
Verbruggen
,
C. J. P. M.
Harmans
, and
J. E.
Mooij
, “
Low-frequency noise in Josephson junctions for superconducting qubits
,”
Appl. Phys. Lett.
89
,
122516
(
2006
).
32.
C. D.
Nugroho
,
V.
Orlyanchik
, and
D. J.
Van Harlingen
, “
Low frequency resistance and critical current fluctuations in Al-based Josephson junctions
,”
Appl. Phys. Lett.
102
,
142602
(
2013
).

Supplementary Material

You do not currently have access to this content.