{
  "abstract": "Two-dimensional (2D) superconductors are an emerging platform for strongly correlated physics and quantum information science. Their reduced dimensionality, atomically flat interfaces, and high crystallinity are attractive for realizing compact lumped-element devices in superconducting circuits. However, synthesizing large-area, monolayer 2D superconductors remains challenging because of their susceptibility to oxidation. Here, we report an \"encapsulation epitaxy\" mechanism that enables the growth of large-area, air-stable, monolayer superconducting NbSe2 films and explore their use in superconducting quantum circuits. A 2D encapsulation layer, such as graphene or hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), pre-deposited on a 3D substrate (e.g., SiO2 or Si3N4), serves both as a template for epitaxial growth of monolayer NbSe2 (1L-NbSe2) underneath it and as a protective cover. This approach produces uniform, large-area (>1-inch) 1L-NbSe2 with greatly enhanced ambient stability, enabling device fabrication in air. The resulting 1L-graphene/NbSe2 heterostructures exhibit robust superconductivity (Tc ~ 1 K) and enhanced charge density wave order (TCDW ~ 177 K), indicative of high material quality. We further integrate 1L-NbSe2 into superconducting circuits using oxidation-free transfer and superconducting edge-contact techniques. The 1L-NbSe2 exhibits a measured kinetic inductance LK ~ 0.7 nH/square, making it suitable for quantum circuits requiring high-kinetic-inductance elements. Encapsulation epitaxy thus provides a route to air-stable 2D superconductors and van der Waals heterostructures, with potential for wafer-scale, monolithic fabrication of superconducting quantum circuitry.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "Journal reference: Nature 656, 349-356 (2026)",
  "arxiv": "2609.19321",
  "author_total": 25,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Xudong Zheng"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sameia Zaman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kenan Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Connor A Occhialini"
    },
    {
      "name": "Haowei Xu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zhien Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fangyuan Liu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Luiz Gustavo Pimenta Martins"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sejoon Lim"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tianyi Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tilo H. Yang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jiangtao Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yunyue Zhu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zachariah Hennighausen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sein Park"
    },
    {
      "name": "Steven Vitale"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kevin Tibbetts"
    },
    {
      "name": "Stephen Margiotta"
    },
    {
      "name": "Phillip Kim"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cong Su"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ju Li"
    },
    {
      "name": "Riccardo Comin"
    },
    {
      "name": "William D. Oliver"
    },
    {
      "name": "Joel Î-j. Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jing Kong"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0gvk0ykxyfq9d.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.19321",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "0gvk0ykxyfq9d",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19321",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.supr-con"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.app-ph"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.19321",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-16",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0gvk0ykxyfq9d.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:19Z",
      "native_id": "2609.19321",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.19321"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.app-ph",
      "subfield": "applied-instrumentation"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.supr-con",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Encapsulation epitaxy of air-stable monolayer superconducting films for quantum circuits and qubits",
  "title_text": "Encapsulation epitaxy of air-stable monolayer superconducting films for quantum circuits and qubits",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0gvk0ykxyfq9d",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.1038/s41586-026-10865-1",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "published-as",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}