Proximity coupling in superconductor-graphene heterostructures

TL;DR

This review explores the electronic properties, device fabrication, and quantum phenomena in superconductor-graphene heterostructures, emphasizing Josephson junctions, phase dynamics, and potential for topological superconductivity.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of theoretical methods, experimental advances, and future research directions in superconductor-graphene heterostructures, highlighting their unique quantum properties.

Findings

Analysis of phase-sensitive properties of graphene Josephson junctions

Discussion on Andreev reflections and phase-coherent quasiparticle transport

Potential for topological superconductivity through proximity effects

Abstract

This review discusses the electronic properties and the prospective research directions of superconductor-graphene heterostructures. The basic electronic properties of graphene are introduced to highlight the unique possibility of combining two seemingly unrelated physics, superconductivity and relativity. We then focus on graphene-based Josephson junctions, one of the most versatile superconducting quantum devices. The various theoretical methods that have been developed to describe graphene Josephson junctions are examined, together with their advantages and limitations, followed by a discussion on the advances in device fabrication and the relevant length scales. The phase-sensitive properties and phase-particle dynamics of graphene Josephson junctions are examined to provide an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of Josephson coupling via graphene. Thereafter, microscopic transport of correlated quasiparticles produced by Andreev reflections at superconducting interfaces and their phase-coherent behaviors are discussed. Quantum phase transitions studied with graphene as an electrostatically tunable two-dimensional platform are reviewed. The interplay between proximity-induced superconductivity and the quantum-Hall phase is discussed as a possible route to study topological superconductivity and non-Abelian physics. Finally, a brief summary on the prospective future research directions is given.