| 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 |
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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. |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
SPIE |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
Rogalski, A.; Dereniak, E.L.; Sizov, F.F. |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
Infrared Photoelectronics |
| Notes |
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no |
| Call Number |
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Serial |
1458 |
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| 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 |
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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. |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
SPIE |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
Rogalski, A.; Dereniak, E.L.; Sizov, F.F. |
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Summary Language |
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Conference |
Infrared Photoelectronics |
| Notes |
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no |
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Serial |
1459 |
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| Author |
Gao, J. R.; Hajenius, M.; Tichelaar, F. D.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Voronov, B.; Grishin, E.; Gol’tsman, G.; Zorman, C. A.; Mehregany, M. |
| Title |
Monocrystalline NbN nanofilms on a 3C-SiC∕Si substrate |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Appl. Phys. Lett. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Phys. Lett. |
| Volume |
91 |
Issue |
6 |
Pages |
062504 (1 to 3) |
| Keywords |
NbN films, nanofilms |
| Abstract |
The authors have realized NbN (100) nanofilms on a 3C-SiC (100)/Si(100) substrate by dc reactive magnetron sputtering at 800°C. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is used to characterize the films, showing a monocrystalline structure and confirming epitaxial growth on the 3C-SiC layer. A film ranging in thickness from 3.4to4.1nm shows a superconducting transition temperature of 11.8K, which is the highest reported for NbN films of comparable thickness. The NbN nano-films on 3C-SiC offer a promising alternative to improve terahertz detectors. For comparison, NbN nanofilms grown directly on Si substrates are also studied by HRTEM.
The authors acknowledge S. V. Svetchnikov at National Centre for HRTEM at Delft, who prepared the specimens for HRTEM inspections. This work was supported by the EU through RadioNet and INTAS. |
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| ISSN |
0003-6951 |
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| Notes |
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Approved |
no |
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Serial |
1425 |
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| Author |
Ryabchun, S.; Tong, C.-yu E.; Blundell, R.; Kimberk, R.; Gol’tsman, G. |
| Title |
Effect of microwave radiation on the stability of terahertz hot-electron bolometer mixers |
Type |
Conference Article |
| Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Proc. SPIE |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. SPIE |
| Volume |
6373 |
Issue |
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Pages |
63730J (1 to 5) |
| Keywords |
NbN HEB mixers, hot-electron bolometer mixers, stability, Allan variance, LO power fluctuations |
| Abstract |
We report our studies of the effect of microwave radiation, with a frequency much lower than that corresponding to the energy gap of the superconductor, on the performance of the NbN hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer incorporated into a THz heterodyne receiver. It is shown that exposing the HEB mixer to microwave radiation does not result in a significant rise of the receiver noise temperature and degradation of the mixer conversion gain so long as the level of microwave power is small compared to the local oscillator drive. Hence the injection of a small, but controlled amount of microwave radiation enables active compensation of local oscillator power and coupling fluctuations which can significantly degrade the stability of HEB mixer receivers. |
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SPIE |
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Editor |
Anwar, M.; DeMaria, A.J.; Shur, M.S. |
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Conference |
Terahertz Physics, Devices, and Systems |
| Notes |
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Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
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Serial |
1441 |
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| Author |
Kooi, J. W.; Baselmans, J. J. A.; Baryshev, A.; Schieder, R.; Hajenius, M.; Gao, J.R.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Voronov, B.; Gol’tsman, G. |
| Title |
Stability of heterodyne terahertz receivers |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2006 |
Publication |
J. Appl. Phys. |
Abbreviated Journal |
J. Appl. Phys. |
| Volume |
100 |
Issue |
6 |
Pages |
064904 (1 to 9) |
| Keywords |
NbN HEB mixers |
| Abstract |
In this paper we discuss the stability of heterodyne terahertz receivers based on small volume NbN phonon cooled hot electron bolometers (HEBs). The stability of these receivers can be broken down in two parts: the intrinsic stability of the HEB mixer and the stability of the local oscillator (LO) signal injection scheme. Measurements show that the HEB mixer stability is limited by gain fluctuations with a 1∕f spectral distribution. In a 60MHz noise bandwidth this results in an Allan variance stability time of ∼0.3s. Measurement of the spectroscopic Allan variance between two intermediate frequency (IF) channels results in a much longer Allan variance stability time, i.e., 3s between a 2.5 and a 4.7GHz channel, and even longer for more closely spaced channels. This implies that the HEB mixer 1∕f noise is strongly correlated across the IF band and that the correlation gets stronger the closer the IF channels are spaced. In the second part of the paper we discuss atmospheric and mechanical system stability requirements on the LO-mixer cavity path length. We calculate the mixer output noise fluctuations as a result of small perturbations of the LO-mixer standing wave, and find very stringent mechanical and atmospheric tolerance requirements for receivers operating at terahertz frequencies. |
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0021-8979 |
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no |
| Call Number |
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Serial |
1444 |
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