Carbon Nanotube Superconducting Quantum Interference Device.

We report on the study of a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with Josephson junctions made of portions of metallic single-walled carbon nanotube [1]. Quantum confinement in each nanotube junction induces a discrete quantum dot (QD) energy level structure, which can be controlled with a lateral electrostatic gate. In addition, a backgate electrode can vary the transparency of the QD barriers, thus permitting to change the hybridization of the QD states with the superconducting contacts [2]. The gates are also used to directly tune the quantum phase interference of the Cooper pairs circulating in the SQUID ring. Optimal modulation of a 6nA supercurrent current with magnetic flux is achieved when both QD junctions are in the ``on'' or ``off'' state. Futhermore, the SQUID design establishes that these CNT Josephson junctions can be used as gate-controlled $\pi $-junctions. This allow to verify that the sign of the current-phase relation across a proximity coupled Qdot can be reversed with a gate voltage. Noise studies shows that the noise figure of the nanotube SQUID together with the size of the junction should allow the detection of a single molecule magnet. [1] J-P. Cleuziou et al. Nature Nanotec., \textbf{1}, 53, (2006). [2] J-P. Cleuziou et al. cond-mat/0610622.