Superconductivity in WTe2

Invited

Abstract

The layered semimetal WTe_2 was recently found to be a two-dimensional topological insulator (2D TI) when thinned down to a single monolayer, with conducting helical edge channels. We report that intrinsic superconductivity can be induced in this monolayer 2D TI by mild electrostatic doping, at temperatures below 1 K. The 2D TI-superconductor transition can be easily driven by applying a just a small gate voltage, offering an effective experimental platform to investigate the 2D superconductor-insulator transition in detail. This discovery offers new possibilities for gate-controlled devices combining superconductivity and topology, and could provide a basis for quantum information schemes based on topological protection.

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Presenters

  • Joshua Folk

    University of British Columbia

Authors

  • Joshua Folk

    University of British Columbia

  • Ebrahim Sajadi

    University of British Columbia

  • Tauno Palomaki

    University of Washington

  • Zaiyao Fei

    University of Washington, Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Department of Physics, University of Washington

  • Wenjin Zhao

    University of Washington

  • Philip Bement

    University of British Columbia

  • Christian Olsen

    University of British Columbia

  • Silvia Luescher

    University of British Columbia

  • Xiaodong Xu

    University of Washington, Department of Physics, University of Washington, University of Washington, Seattle

  • David Henry Cobden

    University of Washington