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One-way supercurrent achieved in an electrically polar film

Diodes are devices that conduct electric current mainly in one direction. An electrically polar film that acts as a diode for superconducting current could lead to electronic devices that have ultralow power consumption.
  1. Toshiya Ideue

    1. Toshiya Ideue is at the Quantum-Phase Electronics Center and in the Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.

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  2. Yoshihiro Iwasa

    1. Yoshihiro Iwasa is at the Quantum-Phase Electronics Center and in the Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.

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An essential process in modern electronics is rectification, whereby bidirectional electric current is converted to unidirectional current. Electronic devices that enable rectification are called diodes and are widely used to transform alternating current into direct current, protect electric circuits from excess voltage and detect electromagnetic waves. Extending this concept to a superconducting current, which flows with zero resistance, is a fascinating challenge from both fundamental and technological viewpoints. Writing in Nature, Ando et al.1 report the achievement of this superconducting diode effect and its magnetic control in an electrically polar film that is non-centrosymmetric — lacking symmetry under a transformation known as spatial inversion. The authors’ findings demonstrate that charge can be transported in a single direction without energy loss.

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Nature 584, 349-350 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02380-8

References

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