Topotactic fabrication of transition metal dichalcogenide superconducting nanocircuits

Abstract

Superconducting nanocircuits, which are usually fabricated from superconductor films, are the core of superconducting electronic devices. While emerging transition-metal dichalcogenide superconductors (TMDSCs) with exotic properties show promise for exploiting new superconducting mechanisms and applications, their environmental instability leads to a substantial challenge for the nondestructive preparation of TMDSC nanocircuits. Here, we report a universal strategy to fabricate TMDSC nanopatterns via a topotactic conversion method using prepatterned metals as precursors. Typically, robust NbSe2 meandering nanowires can be controllably manufactured on a wafer scale, by which a superconducting nanowire circuit is principally demonstrated toward potential single photon detection. Moreover, versatile superconducting nanocircuits, e.g., periodical circle/triangle hole arrays and spiral nanowires, can be prepared with selected TMD materials (NbS2, TiSe2, or MoTe2). This work provides a generic approach for fabricating nondestructive TMDSC nanocircuits with precise control, which paves the way for the application of TMDSCs in future electronics.

Patterned growth of two-dimensional atomic layer semiconductors

“…Another powerful strategy for seeded growth by patterning precursors is topotactic conversion. 17 During a typical process of topotactic conversion, desired structures such as nanowires and arrays are patterned onto transition metal thin films by electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching (RIE), followed by annealing in chalcogen atmospheres, which topotactically transforms the patterned transition metal into target TMDC nanocircuits (Fig. 3c).…”

Heat transfer in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors: mechanism and modulation

“…For example, in 2023, Charaev et al [19] reported an SNSPD produced from BSCCO-layered materials with transition temperatures of up to 25 K, which exceeds the temperature limit of liquid helium. In addition, researchers have conducted preliminary studies on NbSe 2 [20][21][22], a new material that is foreseen to bring about a breakthrough in device performance owing to its unique thermal properties, which is also expected to promote the study of heattransfer mechanisms. Furthermore, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), such as van der Waals (vdW)-layered materials, are characterized by strong covalent bonds within the layers, which are held together by weak vdW forces between the layers.…”