Superconducting Quantum Interference in Twisted van der Waals Heterostructures

Nano Lett. 2021 Aug 25;21(16):6725-6731. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c00152. Epub 2021 Aug 16.

Abstract

We demonstrate the formation of both Josephson junctions and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) using a dry transfer technique to stack and deterministically misalign mechanically exfoliated flakes of NbSe2. The current-voltage characteristics of the resulting twisted NbSe2-NbSe2 junctions are found to be sensitive to the misalignment angle of the crystallographic axes, opening up a new control parameter for optimization of the device performance, which is not available in thin-film-deposited junctions. A single lithographic process has then been implemented to shape Josephson junctions into SQUID geometries with typical loop areas of ∼25 μm2 and weak links ∼600 nm wide. At T = 3.75 K in an applied magnetic field, these devices display large stable current and voltage modulation depths of up to ΔIc ∼ 75% and ΔV ∼ 1.4 mV, respectively.

Keywords: Josephson junction; NbSe2; Superconducting quantum interference device; Two-dimensional materials; Van der Waal heterostructures.