Verevkin, A., Williams, C., Gol’tsman, G. N., Sobolewski, R., & Gilbert, G. (2001). Single-photon superconducting detectors for practical high-speed quantum cryptography. Optical Society of America.
Abstract: We have developed an ultrafast superconducting single-photon detector with negligible dark counting rate. The detector is based on an ultrathin, submicron-wide NbN meander-type stripe and can detect individual photons in the visible to near-infrared wavelength range at a rate of at least 10 Gb/s. The above counting rate allows us to implement the NbN device to unconditionally secret quantum key distRochester, New Yorkribution in a practical, high-speed system using real-time Vernam enciphering.
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Stucki, D., Walenta, N., Vannel, F., Thew, R. T., Gisin, N., Zbinden, H., et al. (2009). High rate long-distance quantum key distribution over 250 km of ultra low loss fibres. New J. Phys., 11(7), 075003.
Abstract: We present a fully automated quantum key distribution prototype running at 625 MHz clock rate. Taking advantage of ultra low loss fibres and low-noise superconducting detectors, we can distribute 6,000 secret bits per second over 100 km and 15 bits per second over 250km.
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Wiechers, C., Lydersen, L., Wittmann, C., Elser, D., Skaar, J., Marquardt, C., et al. (2011). After-gate attack on a quantum cryptosystem. New J. Phys., 13(1), 14.
Abstract: We present a method to control the detection events in quantum key distribution systems that use gated single-photon detectors. We employ bright pulses as faked states, timed to arrive at the avalanche photodiodes outside the activation time. The attack can remain unnoticed, since the faked states do not increase the error rate per se. This allows for an intercept-resend attack, where an eavesdropper transfers her detection events to the legitimate receiver without causing any errors. As a side effect, afterpulses, originating from accumulated charge carriers in the detectors, increase the error rate. We have experimentally tested detectors of the system id3110 (Clavis2) from ID Quantique. We identify the parameter regime in which the attack is feasible despite the side effect. Furthermore, we outline how simple modifications in the implementation can make the device immune to this attack.
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Slysz, W., Wegrzecki, M., Bar, J., Grabiec, P., Górska, M., Latta, C., et al. (2005). Fiber-coupled quantum-communications receiver based on two NbN superconducting single-photon detectors. In A. Rogalski, E. L. Dereniak, & F. F. Sizov (Eds.), Proc. SPIE (Vol. 5957, 59571K (1 to 10)). SPIE.
Abstract: We present the design and performance of a novel, two-channel single-photon receiver, based on two fiber-coupled NbN superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs). The SSPDs are nanostructured superconducting meanders covering an area of 100 μm2 and are known for ultrafast and efficient counting of single, visible-to-infrared photons. Their operation has been explained within a phenomenological hot-electron photoresponse model. Our receiver is intended for fiber-based quantum cryptography and communication systems, operational at near-infrared (NIR) telecommunication wavelengths, λ = 1.3 μm and λ = 1.55 μm. Coupling between the NbN detector and a single-mode optical fiber was achieved using a specially designed, micromechanical photoresist ring, positioned directly over the SSPD active area. The positioning accuracy of the ring was below 1 μm. The receiver with SSPDs was placed (immersed) in a standard liquid-helium transport Dewar and kept without interruption for over two months at 4.2 K. At the same time, the optical fiber inputs and electrical outputs were kept at room temperature. Our best system reached a system quantum efficiency of up to 0.3 % in the NIR radiation range, with the detector coupling efficiency of about 30 %. The response time was measured to be about 250 ps and was limited by our read-out electronics. The measured jitter was close to 35 ps. The presented performance parameters show that our NIR single photon detectors are suitable for practical quantum cryptography and for applications in quantum-correlation experiments.
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Verevkin, A. A., Zhang, J., Slysz, W., Sobolewski, R., Lipatov, A. P., Okunev, O., et al. (2002). Superconducting single-photon detectors for GHz-rate free-space quantum communications. In J. C. Ricklin, & D. G. Voelz (Eds.), Proc. SPIE (Vol. 4821, pp. 447–454). SPIE.
Abstract: We report our studies on the performance of new NbN ultrathin-film superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs). Our SSPDs exhibit experimentally measured quantum efficiencies from 5% at wavelength λ = 1550 nm up to 10% at λ = 405 nm, with exponential, activation-energy-type spectral sensitivity dependence in the 0.4-μm – 3-μm wavelength range. Using a variable optical delay setup, we have shown that our NbN SSPDs can resolve optical photons with a counting rate up to 10 GHz, presently limited by the read-out electronics. The measured device jitter was below 35 ps under optimum biasing conditions. The extremely high photon counting rate, together with relatively high (especially for λ > 1 μm) quantum efficiency, low jitter, and very low dark counts, make NbN SSPDs very promising for free-space communications and quantum cryptography.
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