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arXiv:1909.12721 · AVS Quantum Science

Field-effect control of metallic superconducting systems

Federico Paolucci, Giorgio De Simoni, Paolo Solinas, Elia Strambini, Claudio Puglia, Nadia Ligato, Francesco Giazotto

Published Dec 1, 2019• 49 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Static electric fields have a negligible influence on the electric and transport properties of a metal because of the screening effect. This belief was extended to conventional metallic superconductors. However, recent experiments have shown that the superconductor properties can be controlled and manipulated by the application of strong electrostatic fields. Here, the authors review the experimental results obtained in the realization of field-effect metallic superconducting devices exploiting this phenomenon. The authors start by presenting the pioneering results on superconducting Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer wires and nanoconstriction Josephson junctions (Dayem bridges) made of different materials, such as titanium, aluminum, and vanadium. Then, the authors show the mastering of the Josephson supercurrent in superconductor-normal metal-superconductor proximity transistors, suggesting that the presence of induced superconducting correlations is enough to see this unconventional field-effect. Later, the authors present the control of the interference pattern in a superconducting quantum interference device, indicating the coupling of the electric field with the superconducting phase. The authors conclude this review by discussing some devices that may represent a breakthrough in superconducting quantum and classical computation.

DOI
10.1116/1.5129364

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•Sep 1, 2020•52 citations
Static electric fields have a negligible influence on the electric and transport properties of a metal because of the screening effect. This belief was extended to conventional metallic superconductors. However, recent experiments have shown that the superconductor properties can be controlled and manipulated by the application of strong electrostatic fields. Here, the authors review the experimental results obtained in the realization of field-effect metallic superconducting devices exploiting this phenomenon. The authors start by presenting the pioneering results on superconducting Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer wires and nanoconstriction Josephson junctions (Dayem bridges) made of different materials, such as titanium, aluminum, and vanadium. Then, the authors show the mastering of the Josephson supercurrent in superconductor-normal metal-superconductor proximity transistors, suggesting that the presence of induced superconducting correlations is enough to see this unconventional field-effect. Later, the authors present the control of the interference pattern in a superconducting quantum interference device, indicating the coupling of the electric field with the superconducting phase. The authors conclude this review by discussing some devices that may represent a breakthrough in superconducting quantum and classical computation.
Superconducting field-effect transitor (SuFET) and Josephson field-effect transistor (JoFET) technologies take advantage of electric-field-induced control of charge-carrier concentration to modulate the channel superconducting properties. Despite the fact that the field-effect is believed to be ineffective for superconducting metals, recent experiments showed electric-field-dependent modulation of the critical current ( I C ) in a fully metallic transistor. However, the grounding mechanism of this phenomenon is not completely understood. Here, we show the experimental realization of Ti-based Dayem bridge field-effect transistors (DB–FETs) able to control the I C of the superconducting channel. Our easy fabrication process for DB–FETs show symmetric full suppression of I C for applied critical gate voltages as low as V G C ≃ ±8 V at temperatures reaching about the 85% of the record critical temperature, T C ≃ 550 mK, for titanium. The gate-independent T C and normal-state resistance ( R N ) coupled with the increase of resistance in the superconducting state ( R S ) for gate voltages close to the critical value ( V G C ) suggest the creation of field-effect induced metallic puddles in the superconducting sea. Our devices show extremely high values of transconductance (| g m MAX | ≃ 15 μA/V at V G ≃ ±6.5 V) and variations of Josephson kinetic inductance ( L K ) with V G of 2 orders of magnitude. Therefore, the DB–FET appears as an ideal candidate for the realization of superconducting electronics, superconducting qubits, and tunable interferometers as well as photon detectors.
Gate-tunable Josephson junctions (JJs) are the backbone of superconducting classical and quantum computation. Typically, these systems exploit low-charge-concentration materials and present technological difficulties limiting their scalability. Surprisingly, electric field modulation of a supercurrent in metallic wires and JJs has been recently demonstrated. Here, we report the realization of titanium-based monolithic interferometers which allow tuning both JJs independently via voltage bias applied to capacitively coupled electrodes. Our experiments demonstrate full control of the amplitude of the switching current ( I s ) and of the superconducting phase across the single JJ in a wide range of temperatures. Astoundingly, by gate-biasing a single junction, the maximum achievable total I s is suppressed down to values much lower than the critical current of a single JJ. A theoretical model including gate-induced phase fluctuations on a single junction accounts for our experimental findings. This class of quantum interferometers could represent a breakthrough for several applications such as digital electronics, quantum computing, sensitive magnetometry, and single-photon detection.
Recently, the possibility to tune the critical current of conventional metallic superconductors via electrostatic gating was shown in wires, Josephson weak-links, and superconductor-normal metal–superconductor junctions. Here, we exploit such a technique to demonstrate a gate-controlled vanadium-based Dayem nano-bridge operated as a half-wave rectifier at 3 K. Our devices exploit the gate-driven modulation of the critical current of the Josephson junction and the resulting steep variation of its normal-state resistance, to convert an AC signal applied to the gate electrode into a DC one across the junction. All-metallic superconducting gated rectifiers could provide the enabling technology to realize tunable photon detectors and diodes useful for superconducting electronics circuitry.
Local control of superconducting circuits by high-impedance electrical gates offers potential advantages in superconducting logic, quantum processing units, and cryoelectronics. Recent experiments have reported gate-controlled supercurrent in Dayem bridges made of metallic superconductors, mediated by direct current leakage, out-of-equilibrium phonons, or possibly other mechanisms. However, a time-domain characterization of this effect has been lacking. Here, we integrate Dayem bridges made of niobium on silicon into coplanar waveguide resonators and measure the effect of the gate voltage at steady state and during pulsed operation. We consider two types of arrangements for the gate: a side-coupled gate and a remote injector. In both cases, we observe sizable changes in the real and the imaginary part of the constriction's impedance for gate voltages of the order of 1 V. However, we find striking differences in the time-domain dynamics, with the remote injector providing a faster and more controlled response. Our results contribute to our understanding of gate-controlled superconducting devices and their suitability for applications.
Superconducting quantum devices offer numerous applications, from electrical metrology and magnetic sensing to energy-efficient high-end computing and advanced quantum information processing. The key elements of quantum circuits are (single and double) Josephson junctions controllable either by electric current or magnetic field. The voltage control, commonly used in semiconductor-based devices via the electrostatic field effect, would be far more versatile and practical. Hence, the field effect recently reported in superconducting devices may revolutionise the whole field of superconductor electronics provided it is confirmed. Here we show that the suppression of the critical current attributed to the field effect, can be explained by quasiparticle excitations in the constriction of superconducting devices. Our results demonstrate that a miniscule leakage current between the gate and the constriction of devices perfectly follows the Fowler-Nordheim model of electron field emission from a metal electrode and injects quasiparticles with energies sufficient to weaken or even suppress superconductivity.
Abstract Superconducting quantum devices offer numerous applications, from electrical metrology and magnetic sensing to energy-efficient high-end computing and advanced quantum information processing. The key elements of quantum circuits are (single and double) Josephson junctions controllable either by electric current or magnetic field. The voltage control, commonly used in semiconductor-based devices via the electrostatic field effect, would be far more versatile and practical. Hence, the field effect recently reported in superconducting devices may revolutionise the whole field of superconductor electronics provided it is confirmed. Here we show that the suppression of the critical current attributed to the field effect, can be explained by quasiparticle excitations in the constriction of superconducting devices. Our results demonstrate that a miniscule leakage current between the gate and the constriction of devices perfectly follows the Fowler-Nordheim model of electron field emission from a metal electrode and injects quasiparticles with energies sufficient to weaken or even suppress superconductivity.