Evidence for Spin-Triplet Electron Pairing in the Proximity-Induced Superconducting State of an Fe-Doped InAs Semiconductor

• Published in: Physical review letters Vol. 122; no. 10; p. 107001
• Main Authors: Nakamura, Taketomo, Anh, Le Duc, Hashimoto, Yoshiaki, Ohya, Shinobu, Tanaka, Masaaki, Katsumoto, Shingo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Physical Society 15-03-2019
• Subjects: Critical current (superconductivity); Electron spin; Electrons; Ferromagnetic materials; Iron; Magnetic flux; Magnetism; Maxima; Proximity; Superconductivity
• ISSN: 0031-9007; 1079-7114
• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.107001

We provide evidence for spin-triplet electron pairing in proximity-induced superconductivity in a ferromagnetic semiconductor (In,Fe)As. As discovered in half-metallic materials, an extraordinarily long proximity range is observed. More surprising is a very strong concentration of supercurrent to the edges of the superconducting region, which is deduced from the extremely persistent oscillation of the critical current vs magnetic field. The maxima of the critical current appear not at the zero magnetic flux but at around the maximum magnetic disorder, reflecting the connectivity between the spin-triplet and singlet pairings. These spin-triplet natures in proximity superconductivity also reveal ferromagnetic properties of (In,Fe)As.