The field-free Josephson diode in a van der Waals heterostructure

Heng Wu (), Yaojia Wang, Yuanfeng Xu, Pranava K. Sivakumar, Chris Pasco, Ulderico Filippozzi, Stuart S. P. Parkin, Yu-Jia Zeng, Tyrel McQueen and Mazhar N. Ali ()
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Heng Wu: Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Yaojia Wang: Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Yuanfeng Xu: Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Pranava K. Sivakumar: Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Chris Pasco: Johns Hopkins University
Ulderico Filippozzi: Delft University of Technology
Stuart S. P. Parkin: Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Yu-Jia Zeng: Shenzhen University
Tyrel McQueen: Johns Hopkins University
Mazhar N. Ali: Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics

Nature, 2022, vol. 604, issue 7907, 653-656

Abstract: Abstract The superconducting analogue to the semiconducting diode, the Josephson diode, has long been sought with multiple avenues to realization being proposed by theorists1–3. Showing magnetic-field-free, single-directional superconductivity with Josephson coupling, it would serve as the building block for next-generation superconducting circuit technology. Here we realized the Josephson diode by fabricating an inversion symmetry breaking van der Waals heterostructure of NbSe2/Nb3Br8/NbSe2. We demonstrate that even without a magnetic field, the junction can be superconducting with a positive current while being resistive with a negative current. The ΔIc behaviour (the difference between positive and negative critical currents) with magnetic field is symmetric and Josephson coupling is proved through the Fraunhofer pattern. Also, stable half-wave rectification of a square-wave excitation was achieved with a very low switching current density, high rectification ratio and high robustness. This non-reciprocal behaviour strongly violates the known Josephson relations and opens the door to discover new mechanisms and physical phenomena through integration of quantum materials with Josephson junctions, and provides new avenues for superconducting quantum devices.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04504-8

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