This Project addressed the challenge of experimentally studying proximity effects and Josephson coupling between high-temperature, d-wave superconductors and Van der Waals (VdW) 2D materials, using solid-state devices. The goal was to demonstrate the transmission of cooper pairs at the interface between d-wave superconductor and VdW materials, Josephson coupling mediated by the VdW, and exotic effects linked to its presence, all probed by transport measurements.
It is important for society as it represents a strong demonstration of the possibility of coupling high temperature superconducting oxides with 2D materials to realize superconducting circuits, allowing to create new functionalities for superconducting electronics working at nitrogen temperatures.
The Objectives of the project were to characterize the proximity effect and Andreev Reflection at single d-wave superconductor/VdW interface, as well as realizing d-wave superconductor/VdW/d-wave superconductor Josephson junction.
This action allowed to study multiple fundamental and experimental aspects of superconducting heterostructures combining d-wave superconductors and low dimension materials. It allowed for the development of state of the art planar heterostructures combining HTc materials with materials in the 2D limit and large scale growth of 2D VdW structures on HTc materials, as well as their characterization. It allowed the beneficiary to develop this activity and helped him to get a permanent position in the host institution.
