Satoshi Sasaki
University of Leeds, UK
Title: Superconducting topological crystalline insulator nanostructures: Candidate materials suitable for topological quantum computation
Biography
Biography: Satoshi Sasaki
Abstract
Inspired by the discovery of topological insulators, material science on topological quantum phase that has shed light on Berry phase physics of wavefunctions has been of great interest. Notably, various types of topological materials have been searched and studied to demonstrate novel phenomena that can be derived from exotic properties of elementary excitations such as Dirac, Wyle, or Majorana fermions (MFs). In particular, searching for MFs – particles that are their own antiparticles, and therfore uncharged – is challenging but important for developping future quantum technologies. Topological materials that can superconduct are candidates to host the MFs at their surfaces. Recently, by tailoring metal-impurity levels in topological crystalline insulator tin telluride (SnTe) samples, we have observed surprisingly robust superconducting behaviour. In my talk, we will report the fi rst successful growth of superconducting indium-doped SnTe (Sn1-xInxTe) nanoplates on Si substrates by a simple vapour transport method without employing any catalyst. Th e relation between the critical temperature and the carrier density was found to be consistent with that of bulk single crystals, suggesting that the superconducting properties of the nanoplate devices are essentially the same as those of bulk crystals. With the help of nanofabrication, growing the superconducting nanostructure crystals has opened exciting perspectives to fabricate devices for Majorana-based topological quantum computations.