Selective-area-epitaxied PbTe-superconductor hybrid nanowires: A new candidate system to realize topological quantum computing

Abstract

Semiconductor-superconductor hybrid nanowire is one of the major platforms for realizing Majorana zero modes (MZMs) and topological quantum computing (TQC), and the III-V InAs and InSb-based nanowires are the most-studied materials in this approach. Despite years of efforts to improve and optimize materials, too many defects and impurities in the nanowire samples remain the central problem hindering the research progress in this direction. In recent years, a new candidate Majorana nanowire system—IV-VI semiconductor PbTe-superconductor hybrid nanowire—has attracted much attention and witnessed rapid research progress. The unique advantages of PbTe-based nanowires, such as the large dielectric constant and the presence of a lattice-matched substrate, give them great potential in solving the bottleneck problem of sample defects and impurities, making them an ideal platform for studying MZMs and TQC. In this paper, we briefly introduce the recent research progress of selective area growth and transport characterization of in-plane PbTe nanowires and PbTe-superconductor hybrid nanowires. We also discuss the advantages and problems of the new candidate Majorana nanowire system as well as the prospect of realizing TQC based on it.