A laser that draws superconductivity, line by line, at the nanoscale

Superconductors carry electricity with zero resistance — but coaxing a material into that state exactly where you want it has been a blunt business. Researchers at ICMAB-CSIC in Barcelona, with partners at the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Liège, have adapted direct laser writing to 'draw' superconductivity into a thin film: the laser adjusts the oxygen in the material point by point, tuning each spot continuously from fully superconducting to insulating with nanoscale precision. Published in Advanced Functional Materials, the technique turns a superconductor into something closer to a circuit you can sketch — a new way to prototype quantum and electronic devices without rebuilding the material for every design.

SDG 9 · Industry, innovation and infrastructure — Mechanism: tech innovation