Van der Waals pi Josephson junctions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a thickness-controlled transition between 0 and pi Josephson junctions in van der Waals heterostructures composed of NbSe2 and Cr2Ge2Te6, revealing new possibilities for superconducting electronics.

Contribution

It reports the first observation of a thickness-driven 0-pi transition in van der Waals superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructures with atomically sharp interfaces.

Findings

Supercurrent vanishes at a critical ferromagnet thickness (~8 nm).

Re-entrant supercurrent observed beyond the critical thickness.

Unusual supercurrent interference patterns near the critical thickness.

Abstract

Proximity-induced superconductivity in a ferromagnet can induce Cooper pairs with a finite center-of-mass momentum. The resultant spatially modulated superconducting order parameter is able to stabilize Josephson junctions (JJs) with pi phase difference in superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructures and realize 'quiet' phase qubits. The emergence of two-dimensional (2D) layered superconducting and magnetic materials promises a new platform for realizing pi JJs with atomically sharp interfaces by van der Waals stacking. Here we demonstrate a thickness-driven 0-pi transition in JJs made of NbSe2 (an Ising superconductor) with a Cr2Ge2Te6 (a ferromagnetic semiconductor) weak link. By systematically varying the Cr2Ge2Te6 thickness, we observe a vanishing supercurrent at a critical thickness around 8 nm, followed by a re-entrant supercurrent upon further increase in thickness. Near the critical thickness, we further observe unusual supercurrent interference patterns with vanishing critical current around zero in-plane magnetic field. They signify the formation of 0-pi JJs (with both 0 and pi regions) likely induced by the nanoscale magnetic domains in Cr2Ge2Te6. Our work highlights the potential of van der Waals superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructures for the explorations of unconventional superconductivity and superconducting electronics.