In Situ Epitaxy of Pure Phase Ultra-Thin InAs-Al Nanowires for Quantum Devices

Abstract

We demonstrate the in situ growth of ultra-thin InAs nanowires with an epitaxial Al film by molecular-beam epitaxy. Our InAs nanowire diameter (∼30 nm) is much thinner than before (∼100 nm). The ultra-thin InAs nanowires are pure phase crystals for various different growth directions. Transmission electron microscopy confirms an atomically abrupt and uniform interface between the Al shell and the InAs wire. Quantum transport study on these devices resolves a hard induced superconducting gap and 2e-periodic Coulomb blockade at zero magnetic field, a necessary step for future Majorana experiments. By reducing wire diameter, our work presents a promising route for reaching fewer sub-band regime in Majorana nanowire devices.