Proximity-Induced Superconductivity in Ferromagnetic Fe3GeTe2 and Josephson Tunneling through a van der Waals Heterojunction

Abstract

Synergy between superconductivity and ferromagnetism may offer great opportunities in nondissipative spintronics and topological quantum computing. Yet at the microscopic level, the exchange splitting of the electronic states responsible for ferromagnetism is inherently incompatible with the spin-singlet nature of conventional superconducting Cooper pairs. Here, we exploit the recently discovered van der Waals ferromagnets as enabling platforms with marvelous controllability to unravel the myth between ferromagnetism and superconductivity. We report unambiguous experimental evidence of superconductivity in few-layer ferromagnetic Fe₃GeTe₂ (FGT) proximity coupled to a superconducting NbSe₂ overlayer through an insulating spacer, demonstrating coexistence of these two seemingly antagonistic orderings. Our transport measurements reveal a sudden resistance drop to zero in FGT below the superconducting critical temperature of NbSe₂ and detect a Josephson supercurrent through the NbSe₂/insulator/FGT van der Waals junction. Furthermore, using anomalous Hall effect and magnetic force microscopy characterizations, we confirm that FGT preserves its ferromagnetism in the superconducting regime. Our central findings reveal the microscopic harmony between ferromagnetism and superconductivity and render these systems immense technological potentials.