MIT Grows 1-Nanometer Air-Stable Superconductor, Integrates It Into Quantum Circuit
Updated
Updated · BIOENGINEER.ORG · Aug 6
MIT Grows 1-Nanometer Air-Stable Superconductor, Integrates It Into Quantum Circuit
3 articles · Updated · BIOENGINEER.ORG · Aug 6
Summary
MIT-led researchers produced a smooth, wafer-scale monolayer of niobium diselenide that stayed stable in air and still worked after being built into a superconducting microwave circuit.
The team solved the material’s rapid oxidation problem by growing NbSe2 in a sub-1-nanometer gap beneath graphene, which both shields the film from air and guides uniform growth.
Tests showed the roughly 1-nanometer-thick film preserved superconductivity and delivered high kinetic inductance, a property that could shrink quantum hardware by replacing larger Josephson-junction arrays.
The method also includes an oxidation-free transfer and circuit-integration process, and researchers said the growth strategy could extend to other monolayer quantum materials beyond NbSe2.
Two-dimensional superconductors like monolayer NbSe2 have long suffered from rapid air degradation, making large-scale, uniform film production nearly impossible. MIT researchers solved this by inventing encapsulation epitaxy, where a protective graphene layer is placed on the substrate before growing the superconductor. This creates a tiny gap that guides chemical precursors to form a smooth, air-stable NbSe2 layer. The resulting material is 'born' protected, enabling safe handling and integration into quantum circuits. Its high kinetic inductance suppresses charge noise, paving the way for next-generation, high-coherence quantum devices and overcoming key barriers in quantum hardware manufacturing.