  It is widely believed that topological superconductivity, a hitherto elusive
phase of quantum matter, can be achieved by inducing superconductivity in
topological materials. In search of such topological superconductors, certain
topological insulators (like, Bi$_2$Se$_3$) were successfully turned into
superconductors by metal-ion (Cu, Pd, Sr, Nb etc. ) intercalation.
Superconductivity could be induced in topological materials through applying
pressure as well. for example, a pressure-induced superconducting phase was
found in the topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$. However, in all such cases, no
conclusive signature of topological superconductivity was found. In this
review, we will discuss about another novel way of inducing superconductivity
in a non-superconducting topological material -- by creating a mesoscopic
interface on the material with a non-superconducting, normal metallic tip where
the mesoscopic interface becomes superconducting. Such a phase is now known as
a tip-induced superconducting (TISC) phase. This was first seen in 2014 on
Cd$_3$As$_2$ at IISER Mohali, India. Following that, a large number of other
topological materials were shown to display TISC. Since the TISC phase emerges
only at a confined region under a mesoscopic point contact, traditional bulk
tools for characterizing superconductivity cannot be employed to detect/confirm
such a phase. On the other hand, such a point contact geometry is ideal for
probing the possible existence of a temperature and magnetic field dependent
superconducting energy gap and a temperature and magnetic field dependent
critical current. We will review the details of the experimental signatures
that can be used to prove the existence of superconductivity even when the
"text-book" tests for detecting superconductivity cannot be performed. Then, we
will review different systems where a TISC phase could be realized.
