Silicon-based Josephson junction field-effect transistors enabling cryogenic logic and quantum technologies

TL;DR

This paper reviews the development of silicon-based Josephson Junction Field-Effect Transistors (JJFETs), highlighting their potential for cryogenic logic and quantum technologies through structural innovations and material compatibility analysis.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of JJFET evolution, focusing on their design, material integration, and potential applications in cryogenic and quantum electronic systems.

Findings

JJFETs can operate efficiently at cryogenic temperatures.

Material compatibility of JJFETs on Si, GaAs, and InGaAs substrates is promising.

Superconductor-silicon-superconductor junctions are key to JJFET performance.

Abstract

The continuous miniaturisation of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) from long- to short-channel architectures has advanced beyond the predictions of Moore's Law. Continued advances in semiconductor electronics, even near current scaling and performance boundaries under cryogenic conditions, are driving the development of innovative device paradigms that enable ultra-low-power and high-speed functionality. Among emerging candidates, the Josephson Junction Field-Effect Transistor (JJFET or JoFET) provides an alternative by integrating superconducting source and drain electrodes for efficient, phase-coherent operation at ultra-low temperatures. These hybrid devices have the potential to bridge conventional semiconductor electronics with cryogenic logic and quantum circuits, enabling energy-efficient and high-coherence signal processing across temperature domains. This review traces the evolution from Josephson junctions to field-effect transistors, emphasising the structural and functional innovations that underpin modern device scalability. The performance and material compatibility of JJFETs fabricated on Si, GaAs, and InGaAs substrates are analysed, alongside an assessment of their switching dynamics and material compatibility. Particular attention is given to superconductor-silicon-superconductor Josephson junctions as the active core of JJFET architectures. By unfolding more than four decades of experimental progress, this work highlights the promise of JJFETs as foundational building blocks for next-generation cryogenic logic and quantum electronic systems.