Perfect Superconducting Diode and Supercurrent Range Controller

TL;DR

This paper models a perfect superconducting diode with high efficiency and controllable supercurrent range, crucial for superconducting computing, by using a superconducting quantum interference device with multiple nanowires.

Contribution

It introduces a novel superconducting diode model with 100% efficiency and demonstrates its ability to act as a supercurrent range controller, advancing superconducting electronics.

Findings

Diode has a large positive critical current and zero negative critical current.

Device maintains high efficiency under small magnetic field variations.

Can function as a supercurrent range controller with an adjustable, narrow supercurrent window.

Abstract

Diodes have a nonreciprocal voltage versus current relationship, produced by breaking the space and time reversal symmetry. However, developing high-end superconducting computers requires a superconducting analogue of the traditional semiconductor diode. Such a superconducting diode exhibits non-reciprocity, or a high asymmetry in its critical currents. We present a model of a perfect superconducting diode based on a superconducting quantum interference device made with multiple superconducting nanowires. The diode predicted by our model has a large positive critical current, while the negative critical current can be exactly zero. This 100\% diode efficiency ($\eta = 1$) remains stable against small changes of the magnetic field. Another important result is that under certain and quite broad conditions such devices can act as supercurrent range controllers. In such device a supercurrent can flow with zero voltage applied, but only if the supercurrent is contained in some narrow, adjustable range, which excludes zero current.