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Author Il'in, K. S.; Currie, M.; Lindgren, M.; Milostnaya, I. I.; Verevkin, A. A.; Gol'tsman, G. N.; Sobolewski, R.
Title Quantum efficiency and time-domain response of superconducting NbN hot-electron photodetectors Type Journal Article
Year 1999 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 9 Issue 2 Pages 3338-3341
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract We report our studies on the response of ultrathin superconducting NbN hot-electron photodetectors. We have measured the photoresponse of few-nm-thick, micron-size structures, which consisted of single and multiple microbridges, to radiation from the continuous-wave semiconductor laser and the femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser with the wavelength of 790 nm and 400 nm, respectively. The maximum responsivity was observed near the film's superconducting transition with the device optimally current-biased in the resistive state. The responsivity of the detector, normalized to its illuminated area and the coupling factor, was 220 A/W(3/spl times/10/sup 4/ V/W), which corresponded to a quantum efficiency of 340. The responsivity was wavelength independent from the far infrared to the ultraviolet range, and was at least two orders of magnitude higher than comparable semiconductor optical detectors. The time constant of the photoresponse signal was 45 ps, when was measured at 2.15 K in the resistive (switched) state using a cryogenic electro-optical sampling technique with subpicosecond resolution. The obtained results agree very well with our calculations performed using a two-temperature model of the electron heating in thin superconducting films.
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Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1566
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Author Semenov, A.; Engel, A.; Il'in, K.; Gol'tsman, G.; Siegel, M.; Hübers, H.-W.
Title Ultimate performance of a superconducting quantum detector Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. Abbreviated Journal (down) Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys.
Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 171-178
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract We analyze the ultimate performance of a superconducting quantum detector in order to meet requirements for applications in near-infrared astronomy and X-ray spectroscopy. The detector exploits a combined detection mechanism, in which avalanche quasiparticle multiplication and the supercurrent jointly produce a voltage response to a single absorbed photon via successive formation of a photon-induced and a current-induced normal hotspot in a narrow superconducting strip. The response time of the detector should increase with the photon energy providing energy resolution. Depending on the superconducting material and operation conditions, the cut-off wavelength for the single-photon detection regime varies from infrared waves to visible light. We simulated the performance of the background-limited infrared direct detector and X-ray photon counter utilizing the above mechanism. Low dark count rate and intrinsic low-frequency cut-off allow for realizing a background limited noise equivalent power of 10−20 W Hz−1/2 for a far-infrared direct detector exposed to 4-K background radiation. At low temperatures, the intrinsic response time of the counter is rather determined by diffusion of nonequilibrium electrons than by the rate of energy transfer to phonons. Therefore, thermal fluctuations do not hamper energy resolution of the X-ray photon counter that should be better than 10−3 for 6-keV photons. Comparison of new data obtained with a Nb based detector and previously reported results on NbN quantum detectors support our estimates of ultimate detector performance.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1286-0042 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 534
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Author Zhang, J.; Boiadjieva, N.; Chulkova, G.; Deslandes, H.; Gol'tsman, G. N.; Korneev, A.; Kouminov, P.; Leibowitz, M.; Lo, W.; Malinsky, R.; Okunev, O.; Pearlman, A.; Slysz, W.; Smirnov, K.; Tsao, C.; Verevkin, A.; Voronov, B.; Wilsher, K.; Sobolewski, R.
Title Noninvasive CMOS circuit testing with NbN superconducting single-photon detectors Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Electron. Lett. Abbreviated Journal (down) Electron. Lett.
Volume 39 Issue 14 Pages 1086-1088
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD, applications
Abstract The 3.5 nm thick-film, meander-structured NbN superconducting single-photon detectors have been implemented in the CMOS circuit-testing system based on the detection of near-infrared photon emission from switching transistors and have significantly improved the performance of the system. Photon emissions from both p- and n-MOS transistors have been observed.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0013-5194 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1512
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Author Xu, Y.; Zheng, X.; Williams, C.; Verevkin, A.; Sobolewski, R.; Chulkova, G.; Lipatov, A.; Okunev, O.; Smirnov, K.; Gol’tsman, G. N.
Title Ultrafast superconducting hot-electron single-photon detector Type Conference Article
Year 2001 Publication CLEO Abbreviated Journal (down) CLEO
Volume Issue Pages 345
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract Summary form only given. The current most-pressing need is to develop a practical, GHz-range counting single-photon detector, operational at either 1.3-/spl mu/m or 1.55-/spl mu/m radiation wavelength, for novel quantum communication and quantum cryptography systems. The presented solution of the problem is to use an ultrafast hot-electron photodetector, based on superconducting thin-film microstructures. This type of device is very promising, due to the macroscopic quantum nature of superconductors. Very fast response time and the small, (meV range) value of the superconducting energy gap characterize the superconductor, leading to the efficient avalanche process even for infrared photons.
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Area Expedition Conference Technical Digest. Summaries of papers presented at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics. Postconference Technical Digest (IEEE Cat. No.01CH37170)
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1545
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Author Lindgren, M.; Currie, M.; Zeng, W.-S.; Sobolewski, R.; Cherednichenko, S.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G. N.
Title Picosecond response of a superconducting hot-electron NbN photodetector Type Journal Article
Year 1998 Publication Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) Appl. Supercond.
Volume 6 Issue 7-9 Pages 423-428
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract The ps optical response of ultrathin NbN photodetectors has been studied by electro-optic sampling. The detectors were fabricated by patterning ultrathin (3.5 nm thick) NbN films deposited on sapphire by reactive magnetron sputtering into either a 5×10 μm2 microbridge or 25 1 μm wide, 5 μm long strips connected in parallel. Both structures were placed at the center of a 4 mm long coplanar waveguide covered with Ti/Au. The photoresponse was studied at temperatures ranging from 2.15 K to 10 K, with the samples biased in the resistive (switched) state and illuminated with 100 fs wide laser pulses at 395 nm wavelength. At T=2.15 K, we obtained an approximately 100 ps wide transient, which corresponds to a NbN detector response time of 45 ps. The photoresponse can be attributed to the nonequilibrium electron heating effect, where the incident radiation increases the temperature of the electron subsystem, while the phonons act as the heat sink. The high-speed response of NbN devices makes them an excellent choice for an optoelectronic interface for superconducting digital circuits, as well as mixers for the terahertz regime. The multiple-strip detector showed a linear dependence on input optical power and a responsivity =3.9 V/W.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0964-1807 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1584
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Author Il’in, K. S.; Milostnaya, I. I.; Verevkin, A. A.; Gol’tsman, G. N.; Gershenzon, E. M.; Sobolewski, R.
Title Ultimate quantum efficiency of a superconducting hot-electron photodetector Type Journal Article
Year 1998 Publication Appl. Phys. Lett. Abbreviated Journal (down) Appl. Phys. Lett.
Volume 73 Issue 26 Pages 3938-3940
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract The quantum efficiency and current and voltage responsivities of fast hot-electron photodetectors, fabricated from superconducting NbN thin films and biased in the resistive state, have been shown to reach values of 340, 220 A/W, and 4×104 V/W,

respectively, for infrared radiation with a wavelength of 0.79 μm. The characteristics of the photodetectors are presented within the general model, based on relaxation processes in the nonequilibrium electron heating of a superconducting thin film. The observed, very high efficiency and sensitivity of the superconductor absorbing the photon are explained by the high multiplication rate of quasiparticles during the avalanche breaking of Cooper pairs.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0003-6951 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1579
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Author Kerman, A. J.; Dauler, E. A.; Keicher, W. E.; Yang, J. K. W.; Berggren, K. K.; Gol’tsman, G.; Voronov, B.
Title Kinetic-inductance-limited reset time of superconducting nanowire photon counters Type Journal Article
Year 2006 Publication Appl. Phys. Lett. Abbreviated Journal (down) Appl. Phys. Lett.
Volume 88 Issue 11 Pages 111116 (1 to 3)
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract We investigate the recovery of superconducting NbN-nanowire photon counters after detection of an optical pulse at a wavelength of 1550nm, and present a model that quantitatively accounts for our observations. The reset time is found to be limited by the large kinetic inductance of these nanowires, which forces a tradeoff between counting rate and either detection efficiency or active area. Devices of usable size and high detection efficiency are found to have reset times orders of magnitude longer than their intrinsic photoresponse time.

The authors acknowledge D. Oates and W. Oliver (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), S.W. Nam, A. Miller, and R. Hadfield (NIST) and R. Sobolewski, A. Pearlman, and A. Verevkin (University of Rochester) for helpful discussions and technical assistance. This work made use of MIT’s shared scanning-electron-beam-lithography facility in the Research Laboratory of Electronics. This work is sponsored by the United States Air Force under Air Force Contract No. FA8721-05-C-0002. Opinions, interpretations, recommendations and conclusions are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0003-6951 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1453
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Author Gol’tsman, G. N.; Okunev, O.; Chulkova, G.; Lipatov, A.; Semenov, A.; Smirnov, K.; Voronov, B.; Dzardanov, A.; Williams, C.; Sobolewski, R.
Title Picosecond superconducting single-photon optical detector Type Journal Article
Year 2001 Publication Appl. Phys. Lett. Abbreviated Journal (down) Appl. Phys. Lett.
Volume 79 Issue 6 Pages 705-707
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract We experimentally demonstrate a supercurrent-assisted, hotspot-formation mechanism for ultrafast detection and counting of visible and infrared photons. A photon-induced hotspot leads to a temporary formation of a resistive barrier across the superconducting sensor strip and results in an easily measurable voltage pulse. Subsequent hotspot healing in ∼30 ps time frame, restores the superconductivity (zero-voltage state), and the detector is ready to register another photon. Our device consists of an ultrathin, very narrow NbN strip, maintained at 4.2 K and current-biased close to the critical current. It exhibits an experimentally measured quantum efficiency of ∼20% for 0.81 μm wavelength photons and negligible dark counts.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0003-6951 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1543
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Author Shcherbatenko, M.; Elezov, M.; Manova, N.; Sedykh, K.; Korneev, A.; Korneeva, Y.; Dryazgov, M.; Simonov, N.; Feimov, A.; Goltsman, G.; Sych, D.
Title Single-pixel camera with a large-area microstrip superconducting single photon detector on a multimode fiber Type Journal Article
Year 2021 Publication Appl. Phys. Lett. Abbreviated Journal (down) Appl. Phys. Lett.
Volume 118 Issue 18 Pages 181103
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract High sensitivity imaging at the level of single photons is an invaluable tool in many areas, ranging from microscopy to astronomy. However, development of single-photon sensitive detectors with high spatial resolution is very non-trivial. Here we employ the single-pixel imaging approach and demonstrate a proof-of-principle single-pixel single-photon imaging setup. We overcome the problem of low light gathering efficiency by developing a large-area microstrip superconducting single photon detector coupled to a multi-mode optical fiber interface. We show that the setup operates well in the visible and near infrared spectrum, and is able to capture images at the single-photon level.

We thank Philipp Zolotov and Pavel Morozov for NbN film fabrication, ARC coating, and fiber coupling of the detector. We also thank Swabian Instruments GmbH and Dr. Helmut Fedder personally for the kindly provided experimental equipment (Time Tagger Ultra 8). The work in the part of SNSPD research and development was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research Project No. 18-29-20100. The work in the part of the optical setup and imaging was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research Project No. 20-32-51004.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0003-6951 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1770
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Author Okunev, O.; Smirnov, K.; Chulkova, G.; Korneev, A.; Lipatov, A.; Gol'tsman, G.; Zhang, J.; Slysz, W.; Verevkin, A.; Sobolewski, Roman
Title Ultrafast NBN hot-electron single-photon detectors for electronic applications Type Abstract
Year 2002 Publication Abstracts 8-th IUMRS-ICEM Abbreviated Journal (down) Abstracts 8-th IUMRS-ICEM
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract We present a new, simple to manufacture, single-photon detector (SPD), which can work from ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths of optical radiation and combines high speed of operation, high quantum efficiency (QE), and very low dark counts. The devices are superconducting and operate at temperature below 5 K. The physics of operation of our SPD is based on formation of a photon-induced resistive hotspot and subsequent appearance of a transient resistive barrier across an ultrathin and submicron-wide superconductor.
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Area Expedition Conference 8th IUMRS International Conference on Electronic Materials
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1532
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