Hot-electron effects in InAs nanowire Josephson junctions

Abstract

The controlled tailoring of the energy distribution in an electron system opens the way to interesting new physics and device concepts, as demonstrated by research on metallic nanodevices during recent years. Here we investigate how Josephson coupling in a superconductor-InAs nanowire junction can be tuned by means of hot-electron injection and we show that a complete suppression of superconductive effects can be achieved using a power as low as 100 pW. Nanowires offer a novel design freedom as they allow axial and radial heterostructures to be defined as well as control over doping profiles, which can be crucial in the development of devices—such as nanorefrigerators—where precisely controlled and predictable energy barriers are mandatory. Our work provides estimates for unknown key thermal and electrical parameters, such as the electron-phonon coupling, in our InAs nanostructures.