Spectral sensitivity of narrow strip NbN superconducting single-photon detector

Alexander Korneev; Yulia Korneeva; Irina Florya; Boris Voronov; Gregory Goltsman

doi:10.1117/12.889111

6 May 2011 Spectral sensitivity of narrow strip NbN superconducting single-photon detector

Alexander Korneev, Yulia Korneeva, Irina Florya, Boris Voronov, Gregory Goltsman

Proceedings Volume 8072, Photon Counting Applications, Quantum Optics, and Quantum Information Transfer and Processing III; 80720G (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.889111
Event: SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics, 2011, Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract

Superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD) is patterned from 4-nm-thick NbN film deposited on sapphire substrate as a 100-nm-wide strip. Due to its high detection efficiency, low dark counts, and picosecond timing jitter SSPD has become a competitor to the InGaAs avalanche photodiodes at 1550 nm and longer wavelengths. Although the SSPD is operated at liquid helium temperature its efficient single-mode fibre coupling enabled its usage in many applications ranging from single-photon sources research to quantum cryptography. In our strive to increase the detection efficiency at 1550 nm and longer wavelengths we developed and fabricated SSPD with the strip almost twice narrower compared to the standard 100 nm. To increase the voltage response of the device we utilized cascade switching mechanism: we connected 50-nm-wide and 10-μm-long strips in parallel covering the area of 10 μmx10 μm. Absorption of a photon breaks the superconductivity in a strip leading to the bias current redistribution between other strips followed their cascade switching. As the total current of all the strips about is 1 mA by the order of magnitude the response voltage of such an SSPD is several times higher compared to the traditional meander-shaped SSPDs. In middle infrared (about 3 μm wavelength) these devices have the detection efficiency several times higher compared to the traditional SSPDs.

Citation Download Citation

Alexander Korneev, Yulia Korneeva, Irina Florya, Boris Voronov, and Gregory Goltsman "Spectral sensitivity of narrow strip NbN superconducting single-photon detector", Proc. SPIE 8072, Photon Counting Applications, Quantum Optics, and Quantum Information Transfer and Processing III, 80720G (6 May 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.889111

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