Sidorova, M. V., Kozorezov, A. G., Semenov, A. V., Korneev, A. A., Chulkova, G. M., Korneeva, Y. P., et al. (2018). Non-bolometric bottleneck in electron-phonon relaxation in ultra-thin WSi film. arXiv:1607.07321v4 [physics.ins-det].
Abstract: We developed the model of the internal phonon bottleneck to describe the energy exchange between the acoustically soft ultrathin metal film and acoustically rigid substrate. Discriminating phonons in the film into two groups, escaping and nonescaping, we show that electrons and nonescaping phonons may form a unified subsystem, which is cooled down only due to interactions with escaping phonons, either due to direct phonon conversion or indirect sequential interaction with an electronic system. Using an amplitude-modulated absorption of the sub-THz radiation technique, we studied electron-phonon relaxation in ultrathin disordered films of tungsten silicide. We found an experimental proof of the internal phonon bottleneck. The experiment and simulation based on the proposed model agree well, resulting in tau{e-ph} = 140-190 ps at TC = 3.4 K, supporting the results of earlier measurements by independent techniques.
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Shcheslavskiy, V., Morozov, P., Divochiy, A., Vakhtomin, Y., Smirnov, K., & Becker, W. (2016). Ultrafast time measurements by time-correlated single photon counting coupled with superconducting single photon detector. Rev. Sci. Instrum., 87, 053117 (1 to 5).
Abstract: Time resolution is one of the main characteristics of the single photon detectors besides quantum efficiency and dark count rate. We demonstrate here an ultrafast time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) setup consisting of a newly developed single photon counting board SPC-150NX and a superconducting NbN single photon detector with a sensitive area of 7 × 7 μm. The combination delivers a record instrument response function with a full width at half maximum of 17.8 ps and system quantum efficiency ~5% at wavelength of 1560 nm. A calculation of the root mean square value of the timing jitter for channels with counts more than 1% of the peak value yielded about 7.6 ps. The setup has also good timing stability of the detector–TCSPC board.
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Shcheslavskiy, V., Morozov, P., Divochiy, A., Vakhtomin, Y., Smirnov, K., & Becker, W. (2016). Erratum: “Ultrafast time measurements by time-correlated single photon counting coupled with superconducting single photon detector” [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87, 053117 (2016)] (Vol. 87).
Abstract: In the original paper1the Ref. 10 should be M. Sanzaro, N. Calandri, A. Ruggeri, C. Scarcella, G. Boso, M. Buttafava, and A. Tosi, Proc. SPIE9370, 93701T (2015).
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Shcherbatenko, M., Lobanov, Y., Semenov, A., Kovalyuk, V., Korneev, A., Ozhegov, R., et al. (2016). Potential of a superconducting photon counter for heterodyne detection at the telecommunication wavelength. Opt. Express, 24(26), 30474–30484.
Abstract: Here, we report on the successful operation of a NbN thin film superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) in a coherent mode (as a mixer) at the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm. Providing the local oscillator power of the order of a few picowatts, we were practically able to reach the quantum noise limited sensitivity. The intermediate frequency gain bandwidth (also referred to as response or conversion bandwidth) was limited by the spectral band of a single-photon response pulse of the detector, which is proportional to the detector size. We observed a gain bandwidth of 65 MHz and 140 MHz for 7 x 7 microm2 and 3 x 3 microm2 devices, respectively. A tiny amount of the required local oscillator power and wide gain and noise bandwidths, along with unnecessary low noise amplification, make this technology prominent for various applications, with the possibility for future development of a photon counting heterodyne-born large-scale array.
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Shcherbatenko, M., Lobanov, Y., Semenov, A., Kovalyuk, V., Korneev, A., Ozhegov, R., et al. (2017). Coherent detection of weak signals with superconducting nanowire single photon detector at the telecommunication wavelength. In I. Prochazka, R. Sobolewski, & R. B. James (Eds.), Proc. SPIE (Vol. 10229, 0G (1 to 12)). Spie.
Abstract: Achievement of the ultimate sensitivity along with a high spectral resolution is one of the frequently addressed problems, as the complication of the applied and fundamental scientific tasks being explored is growing up gradually. In our work, we have investigated performance of a superconducting nanowire photon-counting detector operating in the coherent mode for detection of weak signals at the telecommunication wavelength. Quantum-noise limited sensitivity of the detector was ensured by the nature of the photon-counting detection and restricted by the quantum efficiency of the detector only. Spectral resolution given by the heterodyne technique and was defined by the linewidth and stability of the Local Oscillator (LO). Response bandwidth was found to coincide with the detector’s pulse width, which, in turn, could be controlled by the nanowire length. In addition, the system noise bandwidth was shown to be governed by the electronics/lab equipment, and the detector noise bandwidth is predicted to depend on its jitter. As have been demonstrated, a very small amount of the LO power (of the order of a few picowatts down to hundreds of femtowatts) was required for sufficient detection of the test signal, and eventual optimization could lead to further reduction of the LO power required, which would perfectly suit for the foreseen development of receiver matrices and the need for detection of ultra-low signals at a level of less-than-one-photon per second.
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Shcherbatenko, M., Lobanov, Y., Kovalyuk, V., Korneev, A., & Gol'tsman, G. N. (2016). Photon counting detector as a mixer with picowatt local oscillator power requirement. In Proc. 27th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (110).
Abstract: At the current stage of the heterodyne receiver technology, great attention is paid to the development of detector arrays and matrices comprising many detectors on a single wafer. However, any traditional THz detector (such as SIS, HEB, or Schottky diode) requires quite a noticeable amount of Local Oscillator (LO) power which scales with the matrix size, and the total amount of the LO power needed is much greater than that available from compact and handy solid state sources. Substantial reduction of the LO power requirement may be obtained with a photon-counting detector used as a mixer. This approach, mentioned earlier in [1,2] provides a number of advantages. Thus, sensitivity of such a detector would be at the quantum limit (because of the photon-counting nature of the detector) and just a few LO photons for the mixing would be required leading to a possible breakthrough in the matrix receiver development. In addition, the receiver could be easily tuned from the heterodyne to the direct detection mode without any loss in its sensitivity with the latter limited only by the quantum efficiency of the detector used. We demonstrate such a technique with the use of the Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector(SNSPD)[3] irradiated by both 1.5 μm LO with a tiny amount of power (from a few picowatts down to femtowatts) facing the detector, and the test signal with a power significantly less than that of the LO. The SNSPD was operated in the current mode and the bias current was slightly below its critical value. Irradiating the detector with either the LO or the signal source produced voltage pulses which are statistically evenly distributed and could be easily counted by a lab counter or oscilloscope. Irradiating the detector by the both lasers simultaneously produced pulses at the frequency f m which is the exact difference between the frequencies at which the two lasers operate. f m could be deduced form either counts statistics integrated over a sufficient time interval or with the help of an RF spectrum analyzer. In addition to the chip SNSPD with normal incidence coupling, we use the detectors with a travelling wave geometry design [4]. In this case a niobium nitride nanowire is placed on the top of a nanophotonic waveguide, thus increasing the efficient interaction length. Integrated device scheme allows us to measure the optical losses with high accuracy. Our approach is fully scalable and, along with a large number of devices integrated on a single chip can be adapted to the mid and far IR ranges. This work was supported in part by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, contract no. 14.B25.31.0007 and by RFBR grant # 16-32-00465. 1. Leaf A. Jiang and Jane X. Luu, ―Heterodyne detection with a weak local oscillator, Applied Optics Vol. 47, Issue 10, pp. 1486-1503 (2008) 2. Matsuo H. ―Requirements on Photon Counting Detectors for Terahertz Interferometry J Low Temp Phys (2012) 167:840–845 3. A. Semenov, G. Gol'tsman, A. Korneev, “Quantum detection by current carrying superconducting film”, Physica C, 352, pp. 349-356 (2001) 4. O. Kahl, S. Ferrari, V. Kovalyuk, G. N. Goltsman, A. Korneev, and W. H. P. Pernice, ―Waveguide integrated superconducting single-photon detectors with high internal quantum efficiency at telecom wavelengths., Sci. Rep., vol. 5, p. 10941, (2015).
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Shcherbatenko, M., Elezov, M., Manova, N., Sedykh, K., Korneev, A., Korneeva, Y., et al. (2021). Single-pixel camera with a large-area microstrip superconducting single photon detector on a multimode fiber. Appl. Phys. Lett., 118(18), 181103.
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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Shcherbatenko, M. L., Elezov, M. S., Goltsman, G. N., & Sych, D. V. (2020). Sub-shot-noise-limited fiber-optic quantum receiver. Phys. Rev. A, 101(3), 032306 (1 to 5).
Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate a quantum receiver based on the Kennedy scheme for discrimination between two phase-modulated weak coherent states. The receiver is assembled entirely from standard fiber-optic elements and operates at a conventional telecom wavelength of 1.55 μm. The local oscillator and the signal are transmitted through different optical fibers, and the displaced signal is measured with a high-efficiency superconducting nanowire single-photon detector. We show the discrimination error rate is two times below that of a shot-noise-limited receiver with the same system detection efficiency.
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Semenov, A. D., Gol'tsman, G. N., & Sobolewski, R. (2002). Hot-electron effect in superconductors and its applications for radiation sensors. Supercond. Sci. Technol., 15(4), R1–R16.
Abstract: The paper reviews the main aspects of nonequilibrium hot-electron phenomena in superconductors and various theoretical models developed to describe the hot-electron effect. We discuss implementation of the hot-electron avalanche mechanism in superconducting radiation sensors and present the most successful practical devices, such as terahertz mixers and direct intensity detectors, for far-infrared radiation. Our presentation also includes the novel approach to hot-electron quantum detection implemented in superconducting x-ray to optical photon counters.
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Semenov, A., Engel, A., Il'in, K., Gol'tsman, G., Siegel, M., & Hübers, H. - W. (2003). Ultimate performance of a superconducting quantum detector. Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys., 21(3), 171–178.
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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