Insulators for YBa2Cu3O7 Josephson Junction Technology

Because ideal PrBa₂Cu₃O₇ superconducts at 90 K, it should be replaced by RBa_2–u Sr _u Cu₂MO₈ (where R is a light-mass rare earth and M is Nb or, preferably, Ta) as the insulator of choice for YBa₂Cu₃O₇ Josephson junction or microstructure technology. Furthermore, (110)- or (100)-oriented substrates of RSr₂Cu₂MO₈ may provide an opportunity for optimal device fabrication.     

Epitaxial Growth of Ternary Topological Insulator Bi2Te2Se 2D Crystals on Mica

Nanostructures of ternary topological insulator (TI) Bi₂Te₂Se are, in principle, advantageous to the manifestation of topologically nontrivial surface states, due to significantly enhanced surface‐to‐volume ratio compared with its bulk crystals counterparts. Herein, the synthesis of 2D Bi₂Te₂Se crystals on mica via the van der Waals epitaxy method is explored and systematically the growth behaviors during the synthesis process are investigated. Accordingly, 2D Bi₂Te₂Se crystals with domain size up to 50 µm large and thickness down to 2 nm are obtained. A pronounced weak antilocalization effect is clearly observed in the 2D Bi₂Te₂Se crystals at 2 K. The method for epitaxial growth of 2D ternary Bi₂Te₂Se crystals may inspire materials engineering toward enhanced manifestation of the subtle surface states of TIs and thereby facilitate their potential applications in next‐generation spintronics.     

A Single‐Electron Transistor Made of a 3D Topological Insulator Nanoplate

Quantum confined devices of 3D topological insulators are proposed to be promising and of great importance for studies of confined topological states and for applications in low‐energy‐dissipative spintronics and quantum information processing. The absence of energy gap on the topological insulator surface limits the experimental realization of a quantum confined system in 3D topological insulators. Here, the successful realization of single‐electron transistor devices in Bi₂Te₃ nanoplates using state‐of‐the‐art nanofabrication techniques is reported. Each device consists of a confined central island, two narrow constrictions that connect the central island to the source and drain, and surrounding gates. Low‐temperature transport measurements demonstrate that the two narrow constrictions function as tunneling junctions and the device shows well‐defined Coulomb current oscillations and Coulomb‐diamond‐shaped charge‐stability diagrams. This work provides a controllable and reproducible way to form quantum confined systems in 3D topological insulators, which should greatly stimulate research toward confined topological states, low‐energy‐dissipative devices, and quantum information processing.     

Low‐Dimensional Topological Crystalline Insulators

Topological crystalline insulators (TCIs) are recently discovered topological phase with robust surface states residing on high‐symmetry crystal surfaces. Different from conventional topological insulators (TIs), protection of surface states on TCIs comes from point‐group symmetry instead of time‐reversal symmetry in TIs. The distinct properties of TCIs make them promising candidates for the use in novel spintronics, low‐dissipation quantum computation, tunable pressure sensor, mid‐infrared detector, and thermoelectric conversion. However, similar to the situation in TIs, the surface states are always suppressed by bulk carriers, impeding the exploitation of topology‐induced quantum phenomenon. One effective way to solve this problem is to grow low‐dimensional TCIs which possess large surface‐to‐volume ratio, and thus profoundly increase the carrier contribution from topological surface states. Indeed, through persistent effort, researchers have obtained unique quantum transport phenomenon, originating from topological surface states, based on controllable growth of low‐dimensional TCIs. This article gives a comprehensive review on the recent progress of controllable synthesis and topological surface transport of low‐dimensional TCIs. The possible future direction about low‐dimensional TCIs is also briefly discussed at the end of this paper.     

Microstructure control in Pb3Bi thin films for Josephson junctions

Investigation of PbBi thin films deposited by thermal evaporation was made in the range of 22–40% of bismuth. Low temperature resistivity and critical superconductive temperature depend strongly on bismuth concentration.SIMS depth profiling, X-ray diffraction and TEM analysis allow us to identify the mixture of crystallized HCPPb₃Bi phase and other surface and internal phases. Drastic oxidation effects were observed on these layers; some additional thin film materials, such as indium and SiO were deposited upon PbBi to reduce oxidation.Low leakage current, niobium-oxide-Pb₃Bi junctions were made with these alloys as counter-electrodes.     

Suppressing Twin Formation in Bi2Se3 Thin Films

The microstructure of Bi₂Se₃ topological‐insulator thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on InP(111)A and InP(111)B substrates that have different surface roughnesses has been studied in detail using X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray reflectivity, atomic force microscopy and probe‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. The use of a rough Fe‐doped InP(111)B substrate results in complete suppression of twin formation in the Bi₂Se₃ thin films and a perfect interface between the films and their substrates. The only type of structural defect that persists in the twin‐free films is an antiphase domain boundary, which is associated with variations in substrate height. We also show that the substrate surface termination influences which family of twin domains dominates.     

The Material Efforts for Quantized Hall Devices Based on Topological Insulators

A topological insulator (TI) is a kind of novel material hosting a topological band structure and plenty of exotic topological quantum effects. Achieving quantized electrical transport, including the quantum Hall effect (QHE) and the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), is an important aspect of realizing quantum devices based on TI materials. Intense efforts are made in this field, in which the most essential research is based on the optimization of realistic TI materials. Herein, the TI material development process is reviewed, focusing on the realization of quantized transport. Especially, for QHE, the strategies to increase the surface transport ratio and decrease the threshold magnetic field of QHE are examined. For QAHE, the evolution history of magnetic TIs is introduced, and the recently discovered magnetic TI candidates with intrinsic magnetizations are discussed in detail. Moreover, future research perspectives on these novel topological quantum effects are also evaluated.     

Topological Insulator Bi2Se3-Assisted Heterostructure for Ultrafast Charging Sodium-Ion Batteries

The development of fast charging materials offers a viable solution for large-scale and sustainable energy storage needs. However, it remains a critical challenge to improve the electrical and ionic conductivity for better performance. Topological insulator (TI), a topological quantum material that has attracted worldwide attention, hosts unusual metallic surface states and consequent high carrier mobility. Nevertheless, its potential in promising high-rate charging capability has not been fully realized and explored. Herein, a novel Bi₂Se₃-ZnSe heterostructure as excellent fast charging material for Na⁺ storage is reported. Ultrathin Bi₂Se₃ nanoplates with rich TI metallic surfaces are introduced as an electronic platform inside the material, which greatly reduces the charge transfer resistance and improves the overall electrical conductivity. Meanwhile, the abundant crystalline interfaces between these two selenides promote Na⁺ migration and provide additional active sites as well. As expected, the composite delivers the excellent high-rate performance of 360.5 mAh g⁻¹ at 20 A g⁻¹ and maintains its electrochemical stability of 318.4 mAh g⁻¹ after 3000 long cycles, which is the record high for all reported selenide-based anodes. This work is anticipated to provide alternative strategies for further exploration of topological insulators and advanced heterostructures.     

On‐Chip Andreev Devices: Hard Superconducting Gap and Quantum Transport in Ballistic Nb–In0.75Ga0.25As‐Quantum‐Well–Nb Josephson Junctions

A superconducting hard gap in hybrid superconductor–semiconductor devices has been found to be necessary to access topological superconductivity that hosts Majorana modes (non‐Abelian excitation). This requires the formation of homogeneous and barrier‐free interfaces between the superconductor and semiconductor. Here, a new platform is reported for topological superconductivity based on hybrid Nb–In_0.75Ga_0.25As‐quantum‐well–Nb that results in hard superconducting gap detection in symmetric, planar, and ballistic Josephson junctions. It is shown that with careful etching, sputtered Nb films can make high‐quality and transparent contacts to the In_0.75Ga_0.25As quantum well, and the differential resistance and critical current measurements of these devices are discussed as a function of temperature and magnetic field. It is demonstrated that proximity‐induced superconductivity in the In_0.75Ga_0.25As‐quantum‐well 2D electron gas results in the detection of a hard gap in four out of seven junctions on a chip with critical current values of up to 0.2 µA and transmission probabilities of >0.96. The results, together with the large g ‐factor and Rashba spin–orbit coupling in In_0.75Ga_0.25As quantum wells, which indeed can be tuned by the indium composition, suggest that the Nb–In_0.75Ga_0.25As–Nb system can be an excellent candidate to achieve topological phase and to realize hybrid topological superconducting devices.     

Photodoping Effects in High Critical Temperature Superconducting Films and Josephson Junctions

Persistent photoconductivity is an interesting and unusual property of high temperature superconductors. Illumination of these compounds can lead to a change in doping that is persistent at low temperature and relaxes back to its initial value at elevated temperatures. This photodoping can give rise to an improvement of superconducting properties, which is contrary to the illumination effects in conventional superconductors. Furthermore, these photo-induced effects can also be used to probe and modify the properties of grain boundaries in grain boundary Josephson junctions. This paper reviews the experimental data and proposed theoretical models related to these photoinduced effects.     

Detecting Current Noise with a Josephson Junction in the Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling Regime

We discuss the use of a hysteretic Josephson junction to detect current fluctuations with frequencies below the plasma frequency of the junction. These adiabatic fluctuations are probed by switching measurements observing the noise-affected average rate of macroscopic quantum tunneling of the detector junction out of its zero-voltage state. In a proposed experimental scheme, frequencies of the noise are limited by an on-chip filtering circuit. The third cumulant of current fluctuations at the detector is related to an asymmetry of the switching rates.      

Density-Dependence of Surface Transport in Tellurium-Enriched Nanograined Bulk Bi2Te3

Three-dimensional topological insulators (3D TI) exhibit conventional parabolic bulk bands and protected Dirac surface states. A thorough investigation of the different transport channels provided by the bulk and surface carriers using macroscopic samples may provide a path toward accessing superior surface transport properties. Bi₂Te₃ materials make promising 3D TI models; however, due to their complicated defect chemistry, these materials have a high number of charge carriers in the bulk that dominate the transport, even as nanograined structures. To partially control the bulk charge carrier density, herein the synthesis of Te-enriched Bi₂Te₃ nanoparticles is reported. The resulting nanoparticles are compacted into nanograined pellets of varying porosity to tailor the surface-to-volume ratio, thereby emphasizing the surface transport channels. The nanograined pellets are characterized by a combination of resistivity, Hall- and magneto-conductance measurements together with (THz) time-domain reflectivity measurements. Using the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka (HLN) model, a characteristic coherence length of ≈200 nm is reported that is considerably larger than the diameter of the nanograins. The different contributions from the bulk and surface carriers are disentangled by THz spectroscopy, thus emphasizing the dominant role of the surface carriers. The results strongly suggest that the surface transport carriers have overcome the hindrance imposed by nanoparticle boundaries.     

Toward 2D Magnets in the (MnBi2Te4)(Bi2Te3)n Bulk Crystal

2D magnets and their engineered magnetic heterostructures are intriguing materials for both fundamental physics and application prospects. On the basis of the recently discovered intrinsic magnetic topological insulators (MnBi₂Te₄)(Bi₂Te₃)_n, here, a new type of magnet, in which the magnetic layers are separated by a large number of non-magnetic layers and become magnetically independent, is proposed. This magnet is named as a single-layer magnet, regarding the vanishing interlayer exchange coupling. Theoretical calculations and magnetization measurements indicate that, the decoupling of the magnetic layers starts to emerge from n = 2 and 3, as revealed by a unique slow-relaxation behavior below a ferromagnetic-type transition at T_c = 12–14 K. Magnetization data analysis shows that the proposed new magnetic states have a strong uniaxial anisotropy along the c-axis, forming an Ising-type magnetic structure, where T_c is the ordering temperature for each magnetic layer. The characteristic slow relaxation, which exists only along the c-axis but is absent along the ab plane, can be ascribed to interlayer coherent spin rotation and/or intralayer domain wall movement. The present results will stimulate further theoretical and experimental investigations for the prototypical magnetic structures, and their combination with the topological surface states may lead to exotic physical properties.     

Bi2Te3热电薄膜的电化学原子层外延制备

采用电化学原子层外延法(ECALE)在Au电极上成功地制备了Bi2Te3化合物热电薄膜.通过循环伏安扫描研究Te和Bi在Au衬底上的电化学特性,使用自动沉积系统交替欠电位沉积Te、Bi原子层200个循环获得沉积物.XRD、EDX和FESEM测试结果表明循环沉积200层后得到的沉积物Bi和Te的化学计量比为2:3,且是Bi2Te3薄膜化合物,而非单质Bi和Te的简单混合;薄膜均匀、致密、平整且可重复性好,以(015)为最优取向外延生长的.     

Indentation fracture toughness of single-crystal Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript> topological insulators

Bismuth telluride (Bi₂Te₃) is one of the most important commercial thermoelectric materials. In recent years, the discovery of topologically protected surface states in Bi chalcogenides has paved the way for their application in nanoelectronics. Determination of the fracture toughness plays a crucial role for the potential application of topological insulators in flexible electronics and nanoelectromechanical devices. Using depth-sensing nanoindentation tests, we investigated for the first time the fracture toughness of bulk single crystals of Bi₂Te₃ topological insulators, grown using the Bridgman-Stockbarger method. Our results highlight one of the possible pitfalls of the technology based on topological insulators.

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Se掺杂量对n型Bi2Te3-xSex微结构及热电性能的影响

通过水热法合成不同Se掺杂量的Bi₂Te_3-xSe_x (0 ≤x ≤0.45)纳米粉体, 采用放电等离子烧结技术, 制备出致密度较高的块体材料。通过X射线衍射、扫描电镜、透射电镜等测试手段对材料的微结构进行了表征, 并重点研究了含有不同Se掺杂量块体材料的显微结构和热电性能。结果表明: Se元素的掺杂使得粉体XRD特征衍射峰向高角度偏移, 并且衍射峰出现宽化, 晶粒尺寸变小。随着Se掺杂量的增加, 块体材料的电导率先增大后减小; Se元素的掺杂有效地降低了材料的热导率, 并提高了材料的Seebeck系数。研究结果表明: 在整个测试温度区间, 所有经过Se掺杂的样品ZT值都高于未掺杂样品。当Se掺杂量为0.3时, 样品具有最大的ZT值, 平均约为0.51, 并在475 K时达到最大值0.57, 相比未经Se掺杂的Bi₂Te₃提高了159%。