Electrical switching of Ising-superconducting nonreciprocity for quantum neuronal transistor

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates electrically switchable nonreciprocal superconductivity in a vdW heterostructure, enabling a quantum neuronal transistor that emulates neural functions and advances neuromorphic quantum device development.

Contribution

It reports the first field-free electrical switching of nonreciprocal Ising superconductivity and introduces a quantum neuronal transistor for neuromorphic quantum computing.

Findings

Electrical switching of superconducting nonreciprocity achieved.

A quantum neuronal transistor mimicking cortical neuron functions.

Potential for field-free, switchable quantum transport devices.

Abstract

Nonreciprocal quantum transport effect is mainly governed by the symmetry breaking of the material systems and is gaining extensive attention in condensed matter physics. Realizing electrical switching of the polarity of the nonreciprocal transport without external magnetic field is essential to the development of nonreciprocal quantum devices. However, electrical switching of superconducting nonreciprocity remains yet to be achieved. Here, we report the observation of field-free electrical switching of nonreciprocal Ising superconductivity in Fe3GeTe2/NbSe2 van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure. By taking advantage of this electrically switchable superconducting nonreciprocity, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept nonreciprocal quantum neuronal transistor, which allows for implementing the XOR logic gate and faithfully emulating biological functionality of a cortical neuron in the brain. Our work provides a promising pathway to realize field-free and electrically switchable nonreciprocity of quantum transport and demonstrate its potential in exploring neuromorphic quantum devices with both functionality and performance beyond the traditional devices.