Scalable High-Temperature Superconducting Diodes in Intrinsic Josephson Junctions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a scalable design for high-temperature superconducting diodes using intrinsic Josephson junctions in cuprate superconductors, achieving nonreciprocal supercurrent transport suitable for practical, energy-efficient applications.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a novel, scalable approach to high-temperature superconducting diodes based on intrinsic Josephson junctions, with enhanced nonreciprocity from symmetry breaking and anharmonicity.

Findings

Strong nonreciprocity from symmetry breaking and anharmonicity.

Maximum diode efficiency in single-junction devices.

Scalability to large arrays for practical use.

Abstract

Superconducting diodes, characterized by nonreciprocal supercurrent transport, offer transformative opportunities for ultra-low-power circuits. However, achieving reliable operation at temperatures above liquid nitrogen remains a major challenge, limiting their practical applicability. Here, we present a scalable strategy for high-temperature superconducting diodes based on intrinsic Josephson junctions naturally present in a cuprate superconductor. We demonstrate that strong nonreciprocity arises not only from broken spatial and time-reversal symmetries, but also from enhanced anharmonicity in the current-phase relation, enabled by the atomically thin barrier of the intrinsic junction. The diode efficiency strongly depends on the number of stacked intrinsic junctions, with the highest efficiency occurring in single-junction devices. Notably, these high-temperature superconducting diodes are readily scalable to large arrays, marking a critical step toward practical implementation in energy-efficient computing architectures.