Induced superconductivity in selective-area grown SnTe devices

Abstract

Topological superconductors are of high interest for applications in topological quantum computation. The required topologically superconducting state can be engineered by proximityinducing superconductivity in a topological insulator. Here, we explore the induced superconductivity in selective-area grown nanowires of the topological crystalline insulator SnTe on a InP substrate, through TEM/EDX and low-temperature electronic transport studies. The observed superconducting behavior likely originates from indium in the substrate diffusing upwards into the SnTe nanowire, forming a thin layer of InxSn1-xTe at the interface between the nanowire and the substrate. InxSn1-xTe is intrinsically superconducting for indium concentrations above 2%, resulting in superconductivity within the heterostructure. Little-Parks oscillations are observed in loop-shaped nanowire networks in an out-of-plane magnetic field. The half-period shift indicative of a topological superconducting state is absent, which is explained by dominant trivial transport channels obscuring any topological signatures.