Superconductivity in the topologically protected surface states of a three-dimensional topological insulator has been predicted to be a promising platform for exploring exotic quantum states such as Majorana fermion excitations. Although previous efforts have focused on the superconducting proximity effect in bilayer structures between a superconductor and a chalcogenide topological insulator, suppressing the conducting bulk contribution and securing high interfacial transparency between a superconductor and a topological insulator have been major experimental bottlenecks to demonstrating induced superconductivity. CNAM researchers led by Prof. Ichiro Takeuchi, in collaboration with Profs. Richard Greene and Johnpierre Paglione, have now demonstrated a supercurrent to flow through the surface layers of the topological Kondo insulator material samarium hexaboride (SmB₆) via in situ deposition of a superconducting layer on SmB₆ thin films. Published in Physical Review X, this study provides a unique insight into the surface state of SmB₆, and marks an important stepping stone for pursuing novel quantum phenomena using thin-film topological insulator devices.