Records |
Author |
Milostnaya, I.; Korneev, A.; Minaeva, O.; Rubtsova, I.; Slepneva, S.; Seleznev, V.; Chulkova, G.; Okunev, O.; Smirnov, K.; Voronov, B.; Gol’tsman, G.; Slysz, W.; Kitaygorsky, J.; Cross, A.; Pearlman, A.; Sobolewski, R. |
Title |
Superconducting nanostructured detectors capable of single photon counting of mid-infrared optical radiation |
Type |
Conference Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Proc. SPIE |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. SPIE |
Volume |
5957 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
59570A (1 to 9) |
Keywords |
SSPD, SNSPD, single-photon detectors, superconductors, superconducting |
Abstract |
We report on our progress in research and development of ultrafast superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) based on ultrathin NbN nanostructures. Our SSPDs were made of the 4-nm-thick NbN films with Tc 11 K, patterned as meander-shaped, 100-nm-wide strips, and covering an area of 10×10 μm2. The detectors exploit a combined detection mechanism, where upon a single-photon absorption, a hotspot of excited electrons and redistribution of the biasing supercurrent, jointly produce a picosecond voltage transient signal across the superconducting nanostripe. The SSPDs are typically operated at 4.2 K, but their sensitivity in the infrared radiation range can be significantly improved by lowering the operating temperature from 4.2 K to 2 K. When operated at 2 K, the SSPD quantum efficiency (QE) for visible light photons reaches 30-40%, which is the saturation value limited by the optical absorption of our 4-nm-thick NbN film. With the wavelength increase of the incident photons,the QE of SSPDs decreases significantly, but even at the wavelength of 6 μm, the detector is able to count single photons and exhibits QE of about 10-2 %. The dark (false) count rate at 2 K is as low as 2x10-4 s,-1 which makes our detector essentially a background-limited sensor. The very low dark-count rate results in a noise equivalent power (NEP) below 10-18 WHz-1/2 for the mid-infrared range (6 μm). Further improvement of the SSPD performance in the mid-infrared range can be obtained by substituting NbN for another, lower-Tc materials with a narrow superconducting gap and low quasiparticles diffusivity. The use of such superconductors should shift the cutoff wavelength below 10 μm. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
SPIE |
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
Rogalski, A.; Dereniak, E.L.; Sizov, F.F. |
Language |
|
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
|
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
Infrared Photoelectronics |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
|
Serial |
1458 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Slysz, W.; Wegrzecki, M.; Bar, J.; Grabiec, P.; Górska, M.; Latta, C.; Zwiller, V.; Pearlman, A.; Cross, A.; Korneev, A.; Kouminov, P.; Smirnov, K.; Voronov, B.; Gol’tsman, G.; Verevkin, A.; Currie, M.; Sobolewski, R. |
Title |
Fiber-coupled quantum-communications receiver based on two NbN superconducting single-photon detectors |
Type |
Conference Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Proc. SPIE |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. SPIE |
Volume |
5957 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
59571K (1 to 10) |
Keywords |
SSPD, SNSPD, single-photon detectors, quantum communication, quantum cryptography, superconductors, infrared optical detectors |
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. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
SPIE |
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
Rogalski, A.; Dereniak, E.L.; Sizov, F.F. |
Language |
|
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
|
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
Infrared Photoelectronics |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
|
Serial |
1459 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Verevkin, A. A.; Pearlman, A.; Slysz, W.; Zhang, J.; Sobolewski, R.; Chulkova, G.; Okunev, O.; Kouminov, P.; Drakinskij, V.; Smirnov, K.; Kaurova, N.; Voronov, B.; Gol’tsman, G.; Currie, M. |
Title |
Ultrafast superconducting single-photon detectors for infrared wavelength quantum communications |
Type |
Conference Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Proc. SPIE |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. SPIE |
Volume |
5105 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
160-170 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD, applications, single-photon detector, quantum cryptography, quantum communications, superconducting devices |
Abstract |
We have developed a new class of superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) for ultrafast counting of infrared (IR) photons for secure quantum communications. The devices are operated on the quantum detection mechanism, based on the photon-induced hotspot formation and subsequent appearance of a transient resistive barrier across an ultrathin and submicron-wide superconducting stripe. The detectors are fabricated from 3.5-nm-thick NbN films and they operate at 4.2 K inside a closed-cycle refrigerator or liquid helium cryostat. Various continuous and pulsed laser sources have been used in our experiments, enabling us to determine the detector experimental quantum efficiency (QE) in the photon-counting mode, response time, time jitter, and dark counts. Our 3.5-nm-thick SSPDs reached QE above 15% for visible light photons and 5% at 1.3 – 1.5 μm infrared range. The measured real-time counting rate was above 2 GHz and was limited by the read-out electronics (intrinsic response time is <30 ps). The measured jitter was <18 ps, and the dark counting rate was <0.01 per second. The measured noise equivalent power (NEP) is 2 x 10-18 W/Hz1/2 at λ = 1.3 μm. In near-infrared range, in terms of the counting rate, jitter, dark counts, and overall sensitivity, the NbN SSPDs significantly outperform their semiconductor counterparts. An ultrafast quantum cryptography communication technology based on SSPDs is proposed and discussed. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
SPIE |
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
Donkor, E.; Pirich, A.R.; Brandt, H.E. |
Language |
|
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
|
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
Quantum Information and Computation |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
|
Serial |
1514 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Zhang, J.; Pearlman, A.; Slysz, W.; Verevkin, A.; Sobolewski, R.; Okunev, O.; Korneev, A.; Kouminov, P.; Smirnov, K.; Chulkova, G.; Gol’tsman, G. N.; Lo, W.; Wilsher, K. |
Title |
Infrared picosecond superconducting single-photon detectors for CMOS circuit testing |
Type |
Conference Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
CLEO/QELS |
Abbreviated Journal |
CLEO/QELS |
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
Cmv4 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD; SNSPD; Infrared; Quantum detectors; Electron beam lithography; Infrared detectors; Infrared radiation; Quantum efficiency; Single photon detectors; Superconductors |
Abstract |
Novel, NbN superconducting single-photon detectors have been developed for ultrafast, high quantum efficiency detection of single quanta of infrared radiation. Our devices have been successfully implemented in a commercial VLSI CMOS circuit testing system. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
Optical Society of America |
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 |
Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
|
Serial |
1518 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Verevkin, A. A.; Zhang, J.; Slysz, W.; Sobolewski, R.; Lipatov, A. P.; Okunev, O.; Chulkova, G.; Korneev, A.; Gol’tsman, G. N. |
Title |
Superconducting single-photon detectors for GHz-rate free-space quantum communications |
Type |
Conference Article |
Year |
2002 |
Publication |
Proc. SPIE |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. SPIE |
Volume |
4821 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
447-454 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD, single-photon detector, thin-film superconductivity, quantum cryptography, ultrafast communications |
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. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
SPIE |
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
Ricklin, J.C.; Voelz, D.G. |
Language |
|
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
|
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
Free-Space Laser Communication and Laser Imaging II |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
|
Serial |
1523 |
Permanent link to this record |