Search

The control of a superconducting current via the application of a gate voltage has been recently demonstrated in a variety of superconducting devices. Although the mechanism underlying this gate-controlled supercurrent (GCS) effect remains under debate, the GCS effect has raised great interest for the development of the superconducting equivalent of conventional metal-oxide semiconductor electronics. To date, however, the GCS effect has been mostly observed in superconducting devices made by additive patterning. Here, we show that devices made by subtractive patterning show a systematic absence of the GCS effect. Doing a microstructural analysis of these devices and comparing them to devices made by additive patterning, where we observe a GCS, we identify some material and physical parameters that are crucial for the observation of a GCS. We also show that some of the mechanisms proposed to explain the origin of the GCS effect are not universally relevant., 17 pages, 6 figures, 1 Table. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2302.13734

In modern electronics based on conventional metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, the logic state of a device is controlled by a gate voltage (VG). The applied VG changes the density of charge carriers flowing through a small (nanoscale-size) device constriction, and this effect sets the logic state of the device. The superconducting equivalent of such effect had remained unknown until recently, when it has been shown that a VG can tune the superconducting current (supercurrent) flowing through a nanoconstriction in a metallic superconductor. This gate-controlled supercurrent (GCS) effect has raised great interest because it can lead to superconducting logics like CMOS logics, but with lower energy dissipation. The mechanism underlying the GCS, however, remains under debate. Here, after reviewing the mechanisms proposed to explain the GCS effect, we determine the material and device parameters that mainly affect a GCS, based on the studies reported to date. Our analysis suggests that some mechanisms are only relevant for specific experiments, and it reveals the importance of parameters like structural disorder and surface properties for a GCS. We also propose studies that can answer the remaining open questions on the GCS effect, which is key to control such effect for its future technological applications., 34 pages, 11 figures, 1 table