Probing Disorder-Sensitive Physics in InSb Nanowires with a van der Waals Material-Based Device Platform

InSb nanowires have attracted great interest in the last decade, as their large g-factor and strong spin orbit coupling enables applications in both spin transport and topological superconductivity. However, the key physics underlying this utility - the so-called "helical liquid" state - is sensitive to disorder in both the wire and its surrounding environment, and attempts at observation of such a helical liquid have so far been inconclusive. The replacement of traditional device elements, such as a thermal oxide dielectric and normal metal gate, with 2D van der Waals (vdW) materials has shown success in revealing disorder-sensitive physics in materials ranging from graphene to vdW topological insulators. Taking inspiration from this, we report on our progress in developing an optimized vdW based platform for probing helical liquid physics in ultrathin InSb nanowires.