Proximity-effect-induced superconducting phase in the topological insulator Bi[subscript 2]Se[subscript 3]

We have studied the electron transport properties of topological insulator-related material Bi[subscript 2]Se[subscript 3] near the superconducting Pb-Bi[subscript 2]Se[subscript 3] interface, and found that a superconducting state is induced over an extended volume in Bi[subscript 2]Se[subscript 3]...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yang, Fan, Qu, Fanming, Shen, Jie, Ding, Yue, Chen, Jun, Ji, Zhongqing, Liu, Guangtong, Fan, Jie, Yang, Changli, Fu, Liang, Lu, Li
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: American Physical Society 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75855
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8803-1017
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Summary:We have studied the electron transport properties of topological insulator-related material Bi[subscript 2]Se[subscript 3] near the superconducting Pb-Bi[subscript 2]Se[subscript 3] interface, and found that a superconducting state is induced over an extended volume in Bi[subscript 2]Se[subscript 3]. This state can carry a Josephson supercurrent, and demonstrates a gaplike structure in the conductance spectra as probed by a normal-metal electrode. The establishment of the gap is not by confining the electrons into a narrow space close to the superconductor-normal metal interface, as previously observed in other systems, but presumably via electron-electron attractive interaction in Bi[subscript 2]Se[subscript 3].