Characterizing super-semi sandwiches for quantum computing

Semiconductors are the foundation of modern technology while superconductors with their zero electrical resistance could become the basis for future technologies, including quantum computers. So-called “hybrid structures”—carefully crafted sandwiches made from superconductors and semiconductors—may lead to new quantum effects. However, convincing observations have remained elusive. Now, researchers at Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) with NYU collaborators found a way to probe such “super-semi sandwiches” and to reveal what is going on.