Superconducting diode effect via conformal-mapped nanoholes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a superconducting diode using a conformal array of nanoscale holes in a conventional superconductor, enabling switchable, large rectification effects without requiring non-centrosymmetric materials.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel conformal-patterned nanohole structure to realize a superconducting diode in conventional superconductors, bypassing the need for non-centrosymmetric materials.

Findings

Achieved switchable and reversible rectification signals

Rectification magnitude exceeds flux-quantum diodes by three orders

Applicable to various superconducting materials, including high-Tc superconductors

Abstract

A superconducting diode is an electronic device that conducts supercurrent and exhibits zero resistance primarily for one direction of applied current. Such a dissipationless diode is a desirable unit for constructing electronic circuits with ultralow power consumption. However, realizing a superconducting diode is fundamentally and technologically challenging, as it usually requires a material structure without a centre of inversion, which is scarce among superconducting materials. Here, we demonstrate a superconducting diode achieved in a conventional superconducting film patterned with a conformal array of nanoscale holes, which breaks the spatial inversion symmetry. We showcase the superconducting diode effect through switchable and reversible rectification signals, which can be three orders of magnitude larger than that from a flux-quantum diode. The introduction of conformal potential landscapes for creating a superconducting diode is thereby proven as a convenient, tunable, yet vastly advantageous tool for superconducting electronics. This could be readily applicable to any superconducting materials, including cuprates and iron-based superconductors that have higher transition temperatures and are desirable in device applications.