InSb Nanowires with Built-In Ga_<i>x</i>In_1–<i>x</i>Sb Tunnel Barriers for Majorana Devices

Majorana zero modes (MZMs), prime candidates for topological quantum bits, are detected as zero bias conductance peaks (ZBPs) in tunneling spectroscopy measurements. Implementation of a narrow and high tunnel barrier in the next generation of Majorana devices can help to achieve the theoretically predicted quantized height of the ZBP. We propose a material-oriented approach to engineer a sharp and narrow tunnel barrier by synthesizing a thin axial segment of Ga_<i>x</i>In_1–<i>x</i>Sb within an InSb nanowire. By varying the precursor molar fraction and the growth time, we accurately control the composition and the length of the barriers. The height and the width of the Ga_<i>x</i>In_1–<i>x</i>Sb tunnel barrier are extracted from the Wentzel–Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) fits to the experimental <i>I</i>–<i>V</i> traces