The researchers made the discovery while exploring the junction between two layers of a superconductor - niobium diselenide - after the layers were cleaved apart, twisted 30° with respect to one another and then stamped back together. This process created a superconducting quantum interferometer device (aka 'SQUID'): an extremely sensitive sensor used to measure magnetic fields.
SQUIDs, which are based on superconducting loops, are crucial components in MEG imaging and are also used in MRI; cardiography; mineral exploration; scanning microscopes; gravitational wave detection, and in commercial quantum computers.
Although this work remains at an early stage, these new superconducting flakes have the potential to play an important part in the development of quantum computing in coming years.
“Due to their atomically perfect surfaces, which are almost entirely free of defects, we see potential for our crystalline flakes to play a significant role...