Signatures of gate-driven out of equilibrium superconductivity in Ta/InAs nanowires

Abstract: Understanding the microscopic origin of the gate-controlled supercurrent (GCS) in superconducting nanobridges is crucial for engineering superconducting switches suitable for a variety of electronic applications. The origin of GCS is controversial, and various mechanisms have been proposed to explain it. In this work, we have investigated the GCS in a Ta layer deposited on the surface of InAs nanowires. Comparison between switching current distributions at opposite gate polarities and between the gate dependence of two opposite side gates with different nanowire$-$gate spacings shows that the GCS is determined by the power dissipated by the gate leakage. We also found a substantial difference between the influence of the gate and elevated bath temperature on the magnetic field dependence of the supercurrent. Detailed analysis of the switching dynamics at high gate voltages shows that the device is driven into the multiple phase slips regime by high-energy fluctuations arising from the leakage current.