| Records |
| Author |
Bulaevskii, L. N.; Graf, Matthias J.; Kogan, V. G. |
| Title |
Vortex-assisted photon counts and their magnetic field dependence in single-photon superconducting detectors |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Phys. Rev. B |
Abbreviated Journal |
Phys. Rev. B |
| Volume |
85 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
9 |
| Keywords |
SSPD; SNSPD; single-vortex crossing; normal-state belt |
Abstract  |
We argue that photon counts in a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) are caused by the transition from a current-biased metastable superconducting state to the normal state. Such a transition is triggered by vortices crossing the thin and narrow superconducting strip from one edge to another due to the Lorentz force. Detector counts in SNSPDs may be caused by three processes: (a) a single incident photon with sufficient energy to break enough Cooper pairs to create a normal-state belt across the entire width of the strip (direct photon count), (b) thermally induced single-vortex crossing in the absence of photons (dark count), which at high-bias currents releases the energy sufficient to trigger the transition to the normal state in a belt across the whole width of the strip, and (c) a single incident photon of insufficient energy to create a normal-state belt but initiating a subsequent single-vortex crossing, which provides the rest of the energy needed to create the normal-state belt (vortex-assisted single-photon count). We derive the current dependence of the rate of vortex-assisted photon counts. The resulting photon count rate has a plateau at high currents close to the critical current and drops as a power law with high exponent at lower currents. While the magnetic field perpendicular to the film plane does not affect the formation of hot spots by photons, it causes the rate of vortex crossings (with or without photons) to increase. We show that by applying a magnetic field one may characterize the energy barrier for vortex crossings and identify the origin of dark counts and vortex-assisted photon counts. |
| Address |
|
| 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 |
|
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
| Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
| Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
RPLAB @ gujma @ |
Serial |
733 |
| Permanent link to this record |
| |
|
| |
| Author |
de Lara, D. Perez; Ejrnaes, M.; Casaburi, A.; Lisitskiy, M.; Cristiano, R.; Pagano, S.; Gaggero, A.; Leoni, R.; Golt’sman, G.; Voronov, B. |
| Title |
Feasibility investigation of NbN nanowires as detector in time-of-flight mass spectrometers for macromolecules of interest in biology (proteins) |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2008 |
Publication |
J. Low Temp. Phys. |
Abbreviated Journal |
J. Low Temp. Phys. |
| Volume |
151 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
771-776 |
| Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD, nanowires |
| Abstract |
We are investigating the possibility of using NbN nanowires as detectors in time-of-flight mass spectrometers for investigation of macromolecules of interest in biology (proteins). NbN nanowires could overcome the two major drawbacks encountered so far by cryogenic detectors, namely the low working temperature in the mK region and the slow temporal response. In fact, NbN nanowires can work at 5 K and the response time is at least a factor 10–100 better than that of other cryogenic detectors. We present a feasibility study based on a numerical code to calculate the response of a NbN nanowire. The parameter space is investigated at different energies from IR to macromolecules (i.e. from eV to keV) in order to understand if larger value of film thickness and width can be used for the keV energy region. We also present preliminary experimental results of irradiation with X-ray photons of NbN to simulate the effect of macromolecules of the same energy. |
| Address |
|
| 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 |
0022-2291 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
| Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
| Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
|
Serial |
1410 |
| Permanent link to this record |
| |
|
| |
| Author |
Dorenbos, S. N.; Heeres, R.W.; Driessen, E.F.C; Zwiller, V. |
| Title |
Efficient and robust fiber coupling of superconducting single photon detectors |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2011 |
Publication |
arXiv |
Abbreviated Journal |
arXiv |
| Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
6 |
| Keywords |
SSPD |
| Abstract |
We applied a recently developed fiber coupling technique to superconducting single photon detectors (SSPDs). As the detector area of SSPDs has to be kept as small as possible, coupling to an optical fiber has been either inefficient or unreliable. Etching through the silicon substrate allows fabrication of a circularly shaped chip which self aligns to the core of a ferrule terminated fiber in a fiber sleeve. In situ alignment at cryogenic temperatures is unnecessary and no thermal stress during cooldown, causing misalignment, is induced. We measured the quantum efficiency of these devices with an attenuated tunable broadband source. The combination of a lithographically defined chip and high precision standard telecommunication components yields near unity coupling efficiency and a system detection efficiency of 34% at a wavelength of 1200 nm. This quantum efficiency measurement is confirmed by an absolute efficiency measurement using correlated photon pairs (with $\lambda$ = 1064 nm) produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The efficiency obtained via this method agrees well with the efficiency measured with the attenuated tunable broadband source. |
| Address |
|
| Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
| Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
arXiv:1109.5809 |
Editor |
|
| Language |
|
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
| Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
| Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
| ISSN |
|
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
| Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
| Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
RPLAB @ gujma @ |
Serial |
689 |
| Permanent link to this record |
| |
|
| |
| 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 |
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. |
| Address |
|
| 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 |
1286-0042 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
| Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
| Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
|
Serial |
534 |
| Permanent link to this record |
| |
|
| |
| Author |
Pernice, W. H. P.; Schuck, C.; Minaeva, O.; Li, M.; Goltsman, G. N.; Sergienko, A. V.; Tang, H. X. |
| Title |
High-speed and high-efficiency travelling wave single-photon detectors embedded in nanophotonic circuits |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Nat. Commun. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nat. Commun. |
| Volume |
3 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
1325 (1 to 10) |
| Keywords |
waveguide SSPD |
| Abstract |
Ultrafast, high-efficiency single-photon detectors are among the most sought-after elements in modern quantum optics and quantum communication. However, imperfect modal matching and finite photon absorption rates have usually limited their maximum attainable detection efficiency. Here we demonstrate superconducting nanowire detectors atop nanophotonic waveguides, which enable a drastic increase of the absorption length for incoming photons. This allows us to achieve high on-chip single-photon detection efficiency up to 91% at telecom wavelengths, repeatable across several fabricated chips. We also observe remarkably low dark count rates without significant compromise of the on-chip detection efficiency. The detectors are fully embedded in scalable silicon photonic circuits and provide ultrashort timing jitter of 18 ps. Exploiting this high temporal resolution, we demonstrate ballistic photon transport in silicon ring resonators. Our direct implementation of a high-performance single-photon detector on chip overcomes a major barrier in integrated quantum photonics. |
| Address |
Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA |
| 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 |
2041-1723 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
| Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
| Notes |
PMID:23271658; PMCID:PMC3535416 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
|
Serial |
1375 |
| Permanent link to this record |
