arXiv subjects

W. Wegscheider

Publications and source records attributed to W. Wegscheider.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Magnetocapacitance oscillations dominated by giant Rashba spin orbit interaction in InAs/GaSb quantum wells separated by AlSb barrier

We observed magnetocapacitance oscillations in InAs/GaSb quantum wells separated by a $20$\,nm AlSb middle barrier. By realizing independent ohmic contacts for electrons in InAs and holes in the GaSb layer, we found an out-of-plane oscillatory response in capacitance representing the density of states of this system. We were able to tune the charge carrier densities by applying a DC bias voltage, identifying the formation of beating signatures for forward bias. The coexistence of two distinguishable two dimensional charge carrier systems of unequal densities was verified. The corresponding Landau phase diagram presents distinct features originating from the two observed densities. A giant Rashba coefficient ranging from $430-612$\,meV$\text{\AA}$ and large \textit{g}-factor value underlines the influence of spin orbit interaction.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Quantum Hall effect in InAsSb quantum wells at elevated temperatures

We have characterized the electronic properties of a high-mobility two-dimensional electron system in modulation doped InAsSb quantum wells and compare them to InSb quantum wells grown in a similar fashion. Using temperature-dependent Shubnikov-de Haas experiments as well as FIR transmission we find an effective mass of $m^{\ast} \approx$ 0.022$m_{e}$, which is lower than in the investigated InSb quantum well, but due to a rather strong confinement still higher than in the corresponding bulk compound. The effective $g$-factor was determined to be $g^{\ast} \approx$ 21.9. These results are also corroborated by $k \cdot p$ band structure calculations. When spin polarizing the electrons in a tilted magnetic field, the $g$-factor is significantly enhanced by electron-electron interactions, reaching a value as large as $g^{\ast}$ = 60 at a spin polarization P = 0.75. Finally, we show that due to the low effective mass the quantum Hall effect in our particular sample can be observed up to a temperature of 60 K and we propose scenarios how to increase this temperature even further.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Flux-Tunable Josephson Diode Effect in a Hybrid Four-Terminal Josephson Junction

We investigate the direction-dependent switching current in a flux-tunable four-terminal Josephson junction defined in an InAs/Al two-dimensional heterostructure. The device exhibits the Josephson diode effect, with switching currents that depend on the sign of the bias current. The superconducting diode efficiency, reaching a maximum of $|\eta|\approx34\%$, is widely tunable - both in amplitude and sign - as a function of magnetic fluxes and gate voltages. Our observations are supported by a circuit model of three parallel Josephson junctions with non-sinusoidal current-phase relation. With respect to conventional Josephson interferometers, phase-tunable multiterminal Josephson junctions enable large diode efficiencies in structurally symmetric devices, where local magnetic fluxes break both time-reversal and spatial-inversion symmetries. Our work establishes a pathway to develop Josephson diodes with wide-range tunability and that do not rely on exotic materials or externally applied magnetic fields.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Spin-degeneracy breaking and parity transitions in three-terminal Josephson junctions

Harnessing spin and parity degrees of freedom is of fundamental importance for the realization of emergent quantum devices. Nanostructures embedded in superconductor--semiconductor hybrid materials offer novel and yet unexplored routes for addressing and manipulating fermionic modes. Here we spectroscopically probe the two-dimensional band structure of Andreev bound states in a phase-controlled hybrid three-terminal Josephson junction. Andreev bands reveal spin-degeneracy breaking, with level splitting in excess of 9 GHz, and zero-energy crossings associated to ground state fermion parity transitions, in agreement with theoretical predictions. Both effects occur without the need of external magnetic fields or sizable charging energies and are tuned locally by controlling superconducting phase differences. Our results highlight the potential of multiterminal hybrid devices for engineering quantum states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Flip-chip-based fast inductive parity readout of a planar superconducting island

Properties of superconducting devices depend sensitively on the parity (even or odd) of the quasiparticles they contain. Encoding quantum information in the parity degree of freedom is central in several emerging solid-state qubit architectures. Yet, accurate, non-destructive, and time-resolved parity measurement is a challenging and long-standing issue. Here we report on control and real-time parity measurement in a superconducting island embedded in a superconducting loop and realized in a hybrid two-dimensional heterostructure using a microwave resonator. Device and readout resonator are located on separate chips, connected via flip-chip bonding, and couple inductively through vacuum. The superconducting resonator detects the parity-dependent circuit inductance, allowing for fast and non-destructive parity readout. We resolved even and odd parity states with signal-to-noise ratio SNR $\approx3$ with an integration time of $20~\mu$s and detection fidelity exceeding 98%. Real-time parity measurement showed state lifetime extending into millisecond range. Our approach will lead to better understanding of coherence-limiting mechanisms in superconducting quantum hardware and provide novel readout schemes for hybrid qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Strongly interacting 2D electron systems: Evidence for enhanced 1D edge-channel coupling

We observe nearly vanishing Hall resistances for integer filling factors in a counterflow (CF) experiment on a density balanced 2D bilayer system. Filling factor dependent equilibration lengths demonstrate enhanced 1D coupling via edge-channels. Due to the narrow barrier the edge-modes of the two 2DEGs are in close proximity allowing for 1D excitonic correlations. Electron drag measurements confirm the observed quantum state selective coupling between the layers.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Zeeman and Orbital Driven Phase Transitions in Planar Josephson Junctions

We perform supercurrent and tunneling spectroscopy measurements on gate-tunable InAs/Al Josephson junctions (JJs) in an in-plane magnetic field, and report on phase shifts in the current-phase relation measured with respect to an absolute phase reference. The impact of orbital effects is investigated by studying multiple devices with different superconducting lead sizes. At low fields, we observe gate-dependent phase shifts of up to ${\varphi_{0}=0.5\pi}$ which are consistent with a Zeeman field coupling to highly-transmissive Andreev bound states via Rashba spin-orbit interaction. A distinct phase shift emerges at larger fields, concomitant with a switching current minimum and the closing and reopening of the superconducting gap. These signatures of an induced phase transition, which might resemble a topological transition, scale with the superconducting lead size, demonstrating the crucial role of orbital effects. Our results elucidate the interplay of Zeeman, spin-orbit and orbital effects in InAs/Al JJs, giving new understanding to phase transitions in hybrid JJs and their applications in quantum computing and superconducting electronics.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Demonstration of nonlocal Josephson effect in Andreev molecules

We perform switching current measurements of planar Josephson junctions (JJs) coupled by a common superconducting electrode, with independent control over the two superconducting phase differences. We observe an anomalous phase shift in the current--phase relation of a JJ as a function of gate voltage or phase difference in the second JJ. This demonstrates a nonlocal Josephson effect, and the implementation of a $\varphi_0$-junction which is tunable both electrostatically and magnetically. The anomalous phase shift was larger for shorter distances between the JJs and vanished for distances much longer than the superconducting coherence length. Results are consistent with the hybridization of ABSs, leading to the formation of an Andreev molecule. Our devices constitute a realization of a tunable superconducting phase source, and could enable new coupling schemes for hybrid quantum devices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Josephson-like tunnel resonance and large Coulomb drag in GaAs-based electron-hole bilayers

Bilayers consisting of two-dimensional (2D) electron and hole gases separated by a 10 nm thick AlGaAs barrier are formed by charge accumulation in epitaxially grown GaAs. Both vertical and lateral electric transport are measured in the millikelvin temperature range. The conductivity between the layers shows a sharp tunnel resonance at a density of $1.1 \cdot 10^{10} \text{ cm}^{-2}$, which is consistent with a Josephson-like enhanced tunnel conductance. The tunnel resonance disappears with increasing densities and the two 2D charge gases start to show 2D-Fermi-gas behavior. Interlayer interactions persist causing a positive drag voltage that is very large at small densities. The transition from the Josephson-like tunnel resonance to the Fermi-gas behavior is interpreted as a phase transition from an exciton gas in the Bose-Einstein-condensate state to a degenerate electron-hole Fermi gas.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Phase-engineering the Andreev band structure of a three-terminal Josephson junction

In hybrid Josephson junctions with three or more superconducting terminals coupled to a semiconducting region, Andreev bound states may form unconventional energy band structures, or Andreev matter, which are engineered by controlling superconducting phase differences. Here we report tunnelling spectroscopy measurements of three-terminal Josephson junctions realised in an InAs/Al heterostructure. The three terminals are connected to form two loops, enabling independent control over two phase differences and access to a synthetic Andreev band structure in the two-dimensional phase space. Our results demonstrate a phase-controlled Andreev molecule, originating from two discrete Andreev levels that spatially overlap and hybridise. Signatures of hybridisation are observed in the form of avoided crossings in the spectrum and band structure anisotropies in the phase space, all explained by a numerical model. Future extensions of this work could focus on addressing spin-resolved energy levels, ground state fermion parity transitions and Weyl bands in multiterminal geometries.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Control over epitaxy and the role of the InAs/Al interface in hybrid two-dimensional electron gas systems

In-situ synthesised semiconductor/superconductor hybrid structures became an important material platform in condensed matter physics. Their development enabled a plethora of novel quantum transport experiments with focus on Andreev and Majorana physics. The combination of InAs and Al has become the workhorse material and has been successfully implemented in the form of one-dimensional structures and two-dimensional electron gases. In contrast to the well-developed semiconductor parts of the hybrid materials, the direct effect of the crystal nanotexture of Al films on the electron transport still remains unclear. This is mainly due to the complex epitaxial relation between Al and the semiconductor. We present a study of Al films on shallow InAs two-dimensional electron gas systems grown by molecular beam epitaxy, with focus on control of the Al crystal structure. We identify the dominant grain types present in our Al films and show that the formation of grain boundaries can be significantly reduced by controlled roughening of the epitaxial interface. Finally, we demonstrate that the implemented roughening does not negatively impact either the electron mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas or the basic superconducting properties of the proximitized system.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Flip-chip-based microwave spectroscopy of Andreev bound states in a planar Josephson junction

We demonstrate a flip-chip-based approach to microwave measurements of Andreev bound states in a gate-tunable planar Josephson junction using inductively-coupled superconducting low-loss resonators. By means of electrostatic gating, we present control of both the density and transmission of Andreev bound states. Phase biasing of the device shifted the resonator frequency, consistent with the modulation of supercurrent in the junction. Two-tone spectroscopy measurements revealed an isolated Andreev bound state consistent with an average induced superconducting gap of $184~\mathrm{\mu eV}$ and a gate-tunable transmission approaching $0.98$. Our results represent the feasibility of using the flip-chip technique to address and study Andreev bound states in planar Josephson junctions, and they give a promising path towards microwave applications with superconductor-semiconductor two-dimensional materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Microwave-induced conductance replicas in hybrid Josephson junctions without Floquet-Andreev states

Light-matter interaction enables engineering of non-equilibrium quantum systems. In condensed matter, spatially and temporally cyclic Hamiltonians are expected to generate energy-periodic Floquet states, with properties inaccessible at thermal equilibrium. A recent work explored the tunnelling conductance of a planar Josephson junction under microwave irradiation, and interpreted replicas of conductance features as evidence of steady Floquet-Andreev states. Here we realise a similar device in a hybrid superconducting-semiconducting heterostructure, which utilises a tunnelling probe with gate-tunable transparency and allows simultaneous measurements of Andreev spectrum and current-phase relation of the planar Josephson junction. We show that, in our devices, spectral replicas in sub-gap conductance emerging under microwave irradiation are caused by photon assisted tunnelling of electrons into Andreev states. The current-phase relation under microwave irradiation is also explained by the interaction of Andreev states with microwave photons, without the need to invoke Floquet states. The techniques outlined in this study establish a baseline to distinguish photon assisted tunnelling from Floquet-Andreev states in mesoscopic devices, a crucial development towards understanding light-matter coupling in hybrid nanostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Measurements of Phase Dynamics in Planar Josephson Junctions and SQUIDs

We experimentally investigate the stochastic phase dynamics of planar Josephson junctions (JJs) and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) defined in epitaxial InAs/Al heterostructures, and characterized by a large ratio of Josephson energy to charging energy. We observe a crossover from a regime of macroscopic quantum tunneling to one of phase diffusion as a function of temperature, where the transition temperature $T^{*}$ is gate-tunable. The switching probability distributions are shown to be consistent with a small shunt capacitance and moderate damping, resulting in a switching current which is a small fraction of the critical current. Phase locking between two JJs leads to a difference in switching current between that of a JJ measured in isolation and that of the same JJ measured in an asymmetric SQUID loop. In the case of the loop, $T^*$ is also tuned by a magnetic flux.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Spin-Selective Equilibration among Integer Quantum Hall Edge Channels

The equilibration between quantum Hall edge modes is known to depend on the disorder potential and the steepness of the edge. Modern samples with higher mobilities and setups with lower electron temperatures call for a further exploration of the topic. We develop a framework to systematically measure and analyze the equilibration of many (up to 8) integer edge modes. Our results show that spin-selective coupling dominates even for non-neighboring channels with parallel spin. Changes in magnetic field and bulk density let us control the equilibration until it is almost completely suppressed and dominated only by individual microscopic scatterers. This method could serve as a guideline to investigate and design improved devices, and to study fractional and other exotic states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Capacitance and conductance oscillations from electron tunneling into high energy levels of a quantum well in a p-i-n diode

Two-dimensional electron and hole gases separated by a few nm from each other are produced in p-i-n diodes based upon MBE-grown GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. At such interlayer distances, the exciton formation and possibly Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) is expected. We measure the capacitance between the layers and find it to oscillate as a function of the bias voltage. The peak values exceed the geometric capacitance by up to a factor of two. The surprisingly regular periods of the oscillations are of the order of 10 to 30 mV and scale linearly with the inverse of the thickness, between 60 and 150 nm, of the GaAs layer placed between the barrier and the p-doped AlGaAs. The oscillations are related to the resonant electron tunneling into high energy levels of this GaAs layer acting as a quantum well. We suggest that long lifetimes of the electrons in these levels are the origin of the large peak values of the capacitance. The possible relation of the capacitance oscillations with BEC is discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

In-situ Tuning of the Electric Dipole Strength of a Double Dot Charge Qubit: Charge Noise Protection and Ultra Strong Coupling

Semiconductor quantum dots, where electrons or holes are isolated via electrostatic potentials generated by surface gates, are promising building blocks for semiconductor-based quantum technology. Here, we investigate double quantum dot (DQD) charge qubits in GaAs, capacitively coupled to high-impedance SQUID array and Josephson junction array resonators. We tune the strength of the electric dipole interaction between the qubit and the resonator in-situ using surface gates. We characterize the qubit-resonator coupling strength, qubit decoherence, and detuning noise affecting the charge qubit for different electrostatic DQD configurations. We find that all quantities can be tuned systematically over more than one order of magnitude, resulting in reproducible decoherence rates $\Gamma_2/2\pi<~5$ MHz in the limit of high interdot capacitance. Conversely, by reducing the interdot capacitance, we can increase the DQD electric dipole strength, and therefore its coupling to the resonator. By employing a Josephson junction array resonator with an impedance of $\sim4$ k$\Omega$ and a resonance frequency of $\omega_r/2\pi \sim 5.6$ GHz, we observe a coupling strength of $g/2\pi \sim 630$ MHz, demonstrating the possibility to achieve the ultrastrong coupling regime (USC) for electrons hosted in a semiconductor DQD. These results are essential for further increasing the coherence of quantum dot based qubits and investigating USC physics in semiconducting QDs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Quantum simulation of antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain with gate-defined quantum dots

Quantum-mechanical correlations of interacting fermions result in the emergence of exotic phases. Magnetic phases naturally arise in the Mott-insulator regime of the Fermi-Hubbard model, where charges are localized and the spin degree of freedom remains. In this regime, the occurrence of phenomena such as resonating valence bonds, frustrated magnetism, and spin liquids is predicted. Quantum systems with engineered Hamiltonians can be used as simulators of such spin physics to provide insights beyond the capabilities of analytical methods and classical computers. To be useful, methods for the preparation of intricate many-body spin states and access to relevant observables are required. Here, we show the quantum simulation of magnetism in the Mott-insulator regime with a linear quantum-dot array. We characterize the energy spectrum for a Heisenberg spin chain, from which we can identify when the conditions for homogeneous exchange couplings are met. Next, we study the multispin coherence with global exchange oscillations in both the singlet and triplet subspace of the Heisenberg Hamiltonian. Last, we adiabatically prepare the low-energy global singlet of the homogeneous spin chain and probe it with two-spin singlettriplet measurements on each nearest-neighbor pair and the correlations therein. The methods and control presented here open new opportunities for the simulation of quantum magnetism benefiting from the flexibility in tuning and layout of gate-defined quantum-dot arrays.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗