Superconductivity in Few-Layer Topological Superconductor Candidate (Sn_1-xIn_x)Bi₂Te₄

The combination of a superconducting state with a non-trivial topology of band structures may lead to emerging topological superconductivity. The electronic states of such materials are characterized by the coexistence of bulk supercurrents mediated by Cooper pairs and topologically protected boundary modes. One of the approaches to developing topological superconductors is introducing superconducting components (such as Sn_1-xIn_xTe) into the parent compound lattice of a topological insulator (such as Bi₂Te₃). In this talk, I will describe our progress in measuring and understanding the superconducting and normal states of the topological superconductor candidate (Sn_0.5In_0.5)Bi₂Te₄. In bulk, this material is a layered superconductor with a critical temperature of ~1.5 K, which could be further tuned by material composition. I will demonstrate that superconductivity persists down to the few-layer limit, with a critical temperature comparable to the bulk. I will next discuss critical current measurements in this compound in the superconducting state, as well as non-linear transport measurements above the critical temperature.