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January 23, 2026Nano Letters1 citationsOpen Access

KTaO 3 -Based Supercurrent Diode

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MYMuqing YuUniversity of PittsburghJKJieun KimUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonAOAhmed OmranUniversity of Pittsburgh

Key Points

  • The aim is to realize the supercurrent diode effect in superconducting weak links, enabling advanced electronic applications.
  • Patterning conducting atomic force microscope lithography for weak links
  • Engineering weak link geometry at the nanoscale
  • Experimenting under varying out-of-plane magnetic fields
  • Utilizing Ginzburg-Landau simulations to study vortex motion
  • Achieved supercurrent diode effect characterized by nonreciprocal critical currents
  • Rectification efficiency of up to 13% observed
  • SDE polarity reversible by changing weak link positions
  • Simulations indicate SDE arises from asymmetric vortex motion in engineered device geometry

Abstract

The supercurrent diode effect (SDE), characterized by nonreciprocal critical currents, represents a promising building block for future dissipationless electronics and quantum circuits. Realizing SDE requires breaking both time-reversal and inversion symmetry in the device. Here we use conductive atomic force microscope (c-AFM) lithography to pattern reconfigurable superconducting weak links (WLs) at the LaAlO3/KTaO3 (LAO/KTO) interface. By deliberately engineering the WL geometry at the nanoscale, we realize SDE in these devices in the presence of modest out-of-plane magnetic fields. The SDE polarity can be reversed by simply changing the WL position, and the rectification efficiency reaches up to 13% under optimal magnetic field conditions. Time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations reveal that the observed SDE originates from asymmetric vortex motion in the inversion-symmetry-breaking device geometry. This demonstration of SDE in the LAO/KTO system establishes a versatile platform for investigating and engineering vortex dynamics, forming the basis for engineered quantum circuit elements.

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Cite This Study

Yu et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6973106cc8125b09b0d2018dhttps://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c05590
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