UC Riverside

This thesis presents experimental work on the synthesis and characterization of materials for topological superconductivity. First, an introduction to the theory of conventional and topological superconductors is presented along with an overview of current experimental work in the field. There are two main material systems considered in this work: Au (111) and NbSe$_2$ thin films. The Au (111) approach is a hybrid superconducting system that seeks to leverage the strong spin-orbit interaction in the surface states of Au (111) films to engineer Majorana zero modes. Tunneling experiments presented on these films reveal the presence of surface state superconductivity and enhanced Zeeman effect from large Land e g-factors. The NbSe$_2$ approach explores the synthesis of this material in wafer scale substrates and the effects of lattice strain on the superconducting properties of the films. Raman spectroscopy reveals that in-plane strain, controlled by synthesis temperature, is responsible for altering the electronic properties of the material.