Van der Waals superconducting electronics: materials, devices and circuit integration

TL;DR

This review discusses van der Waals superconductors' unique properties, their physical mechanisms, device functionalities, and future prospects for scalable quantum and cryogenic electronic applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the physical principles, device functionalities, and future pathways for integrating vdW superconductors into practical quantum and cryogenic electronics.

Findings

Unique properties like high in-plane field resilience and electrostatic tuneability.

Physical mechanisms such as Ising pairing and band inversion.

Potential for wafer-scale growth and device integration.

Abstract

Van der Waals (vdW) superconductors - atomically thin crystalline materials that can be stacked into more complex heterostructures - have opened a promising avenue for superconducting electronics thanks to their properties that are otherwise difficult to obtain in other superconducting materials. These include strong resilience to high in-plane fields, electrostatic tuneability, and non-reciprocal transport rooted in inversion-symmetry breaking and strong spin-orbit coupling. In addition to highlighting the importance of these properties for superconducting electronics, this review gives an overview over the physical mechanisms that govern and influence superconductivity in vdW materials including Ising pairing, band inversion, and proximity effects at superconductor/ferromagnet interfaces that do not have an equivalent in thin-film systems. This overview then sets the basis to survey the wide range of functionalities enabled by superconducting vdW devices including gate-controlled devices, superconducting diodes, and circuit elements for readout and control of quantum bits. The review concludes with a forward look at wafer-scale growth and deterministic assembly of vdW devices, highlighting concrete pathways that can enable the transition from vdW device prototypes to deployable components for cryogenic electronics and quantum technologies.