Records |
Author |
Sclafani, M.; Marksteiner, M.; Keir, F. M. L.; Divochiy, A.; Korneev, A.; Semenov, A.; Gol'tsman, G.; Arndt, M. |
Title |
Sensitivity of a superconducting nanowire detector for single ions at low energy |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Nanotechnol. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nanotechnol. |
Volume |
23 |
Issue |
6 |
Pages |
065501 (1 to 5) |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD, superconducting single ion detector, SSID, SNSID |
Abstract |
We report on the characterization of a superconducting nanowire detector for ions at low kinetic energies. We measure the absolute single-particle detection efficiency eta and trace its increase with energy up to eta = 100%. We discuss the influence of noble gas adsorbates on the cryogenic surface and analyze their relevance for the detection of slow massive particles. We apply a recent model for the hot-spot formation to the incidence of atomic ions at energies between 0.2 and 1 keV. We suggest how the differences observed for photons and atoms or molecules can be related to the surface condition of the detector and we propose that the restoration of proper surface conditions may open a new avenue for SSPD-based optical spectroscopy on molecules and nanoparticles. |
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Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology, Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria |
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English |
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0957-4484 |
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PMID:22248823 |
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no |
Call Number |
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Serial |
1380 |
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Author |
Lindgren, M.; Currie, M.; Zeng, W.-S.; Sobolewski, R.; Cherednichenko, S.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G. N. |
Title |
Picosecond response of a superconducting hot-electron NbN photodetector |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1998 |
Publication |
Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Supercond. |
Volume |
6 |
Issue |
7-9 |
Pages |
423-428 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
Abstract |
The ps optical response of ultrathin NbN photodetectors has been studied by electro-optic sampling. The detectors were fabricated by patterning ultrathin (3.5 nm thick) NbN films deposited on sapphire by reactive magnetron sputtering into either a 5×10 μm2 microbridge or 25 1 μm wide, 5 μm long strips connected in parallel. Both structures were placed at the center of a 4 mm long coplanar waveguide covered with Ti/Au. The photoresponse was studied at temperatures ranging from 2.15 K to 10 K, with the samples biased in the resistive (switched) state and illuminated with 100 fs wide laser pulses at 395 nm wavelength. At T=2.15 K, we obtained an approximately 100 ps wide transient, which corresponds to a NbN detector response time of 45 ps. The photoresponse can be attributed to the nonequilibrium electron heating effect, where the incident radiation increases the temperature of the electron subsystem, while the phonons act as the heat sink. The high-speed response of NbN devices makes them an excellent choice for an optoelectronic interface for superconducting digital circuits, as well as mixers for the terahertz regime. The multiple-strip detector showed a linear dependence on input optical power and a responsivity =3.9 V/W. |
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0964-1807 |
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no |
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1584 |
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Author |
Sobolewski, R.; Verevkin, A.; Gol'tsman, G.N.; Lipatov, A.; Wilsher, K. |
Title |
Ultrafast superconducting single-photon optical detectors and their applications |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2003 |
Publication |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
13 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
1151-1157 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
Abstract |
We present a new class of ultrafast single-photon detectors for counting both visible and infrared photons. The detection mechanism is based on photon-induced hotspot formation, which forces the supercurrent redistribution and leads to the appearance of a transient resistive barrier across an ultrathin, submicrometer-width, superconducting stripe. The devices were fabricated from 3.5-nm- and 10-nm-thick NbN films, patterned into <200-nm-wide stripes in the 4 /spl times/ 4-/spl mu/m/sup 2/ or 10 /spl times/ 10-/spl mu/m/sup 2/ meander-type geometry, and operated at 4.2 K, well below the NbN critical temperature (T/sub c/=10-11 K). Continuous-wave and pulsed-laser optical sources in the 400-nm-to 3500-nm-wavelength range were used to determine the detector performance in the photon-counting mode. Experimental quantum efficiency was found to exponentially depend on the photon wavelength, and for our best, 3.5-nm-thick, 100-/spl mu/m/sup 2/-area devices varied from >10% for 405-nm radiation to 3.5% for 1550-nm photons. The detector response time and jitter were /spl sim/100 ps and 35 ps, respectively, and were acquisition system limited. The dark counts were below 0.01 per second at optimal biasing. In terms of the counting rate, jitter, and dark counts, the NbN single-photon detectors significantly outperform their semiconductor counterparts. Already-identified applications for our devices range from noncontact testing of semiconductor CMOS VLSI circuits to free-space quantum cryptography and communications. |
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1051-8223 |
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no |
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509 |
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Author |
Schuck, C.; Pernice, W. H. P.; Minaeva, O.; Li, Mo; Gol'tsman, G.; Sergienko, A. V.; Tang, H. X. |
Title |
Matrix of integrated superconducting single-photon detectors with high timing resolution |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2013 |
Publication |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Volume |
23 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
2201007-2201007 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD, array, matrix |
Abstract |
We demonstrate a large grid of individually addressable superconducting single photon detectors on a single chip. Each detector element is fully integrated into an independent waveguide circuit with custom functionality at telecom wavelengths. High device density is achieved by fabricating the nanowire detectors in traveling wave geometry directly on top of silicon-on-insulator waveguides. Our superconducting single photon detector matrix includes detector designs optimized for high detection efficiency, low dark count rate, and high timing accuracy. As an example, we exploit the high timing resolution of a particularly short nanowire design to resolve individual photon round-trips in a cavity ring-down measurement of a silicon ring resonator. |
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1051-8223 |
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no |
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1373 |
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Author |
Zolotov, P. I.; Semenov, A. V.; Divochiy, A. V.; Goltsman, G. N.; Romanov, N. R.; Klapwijk, T. M. |
Title |
Dependence of photon detection efficiency on normal-state sheet resistance in marginally superconducting films of NbN |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Volume |
31 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
1-5 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
Abstract |
We present an extensive set of data on nanowire-type superconducting single-photon detectors based on niobium-nitride (NbN) to establish the empirical correlation between performance and the normal-state resistance per square. We focus, in particular, on the bias current, compared to the expected depairing current, needed to achieve a near-unity detection efficiency for photon detection. The data are discussed within the context of a model in which the photon energy triggers the movement of vortices i.e. superconducting dissipation, followed by thermal runaway. Since the model is based on the non-equilibrium theory for conventional superconductors deviations may occur, because the efficient regime is found when NbN acts as a marginal superconductor in which long-range phase coherence is frustrated. |
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1051-8223 |
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no |
Call Number |
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Serial |
1222 |
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Author |
Zolotov, P.; Semenov, A.; Divochiy, A.; Goltsman, G. |
Title |
A comparison of VN and NbN thin films towards optimal SNSPD efficiency |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Volume |
31 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
1-4 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD, WSi |
Abstract |
Based on early phenomenological ideas about the operation of superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD or SNSPD), it was expected that materials with a lower superconducting gap should perform better in the IR range. The plausibility of this concept could be checked using two popular SSPD materials – NbN and WSi films. However, these materials differ strongly in crystallographic structure (polycrystalline B1 versus amorphous), which makes their dependence on disorder different. In our work we present a study of the single-photon response of SSPDs made from two disordered B1 structure superconductors – vanadium nitride and niobium nitride thin films. We compare the intrinsic efficiency of devices made from films with different sheet resistance values. While both materials have a polycrystalline structure and comparable diffusion coefficient values, VN films show metallic behavior over a wide range of sheet resistance, in contrast to NbN films with an insulator-like temperature dependence of resistivity, which may be partially due to enhanced Coulomb interaction, leading to different starting points for the normal electron density of states. The results show that even though VN devices are more promising in terms of theoretical predictions, their optimal performance was not reached due to lower values of sheet resistance. |
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1051-8223 |
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no |
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Serial |
1223 |
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Author |
Korneeva, Y.; Sidorova, M.; Semenov, A.; Krasnosvobodtsev, S.; Mitsen, K.; Korneev, A.; Chulkova, G.; Goltsman, G. |
Title |
Comparison of hot-spot formation in NbC and NbN single-photon detectors |
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Journal Article |
Year |
2016 |
Publication |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Volume |
26 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
1-4 |
Keywords |
NbC, NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
Abstract |
We report an experimental investigation of the hot-spot evolution in superconducting single-photon detectors made of disordered superconducting materials with different diffusivity and energy downconversion time values, i.e., 33-nm-thick NbN and 23-nm-thick NbC films. We have demonstrated that, in NbC film, only 405-nm photons produce sufficiently large hot spot to trigger a single-photon response. The dependence of detection efficiency on bias current for 405-nm photons in NbC is similar to that for 3400-nm photons in NbN. In NbC, large diffusivity and downconversion time result in 1-D critical current suppression profile compared with the usual 2-D profile in NbN. |
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1051-8223 |
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no |
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1348 |
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Author |
Il'in, K. S.; Currie, M.; Lindgren, M.; Milostnaya, I. I.; Verevkin, A. A.; Gol'tsman, G. N.; Sobolewski, R. |
Title |
Quantum efficiency and time-domain response of superconducting NbN hot-electron photodetectors |
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Journal Article |
Year |
1999 |
Publication |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Abbreviated Journal |
IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. |
Volume |
9 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
3338-3341 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
Abstract |
We report our studies on the response of ultrathin superconducting NbN hot-electron photodetectors. We have measured the photoresponse of few-nm-thick, micron-size structures, which consisted of single and multiple microbridges, to radiation from the continuous-wave semiconductor laser and the femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser with the wavelength of 790 nm and 400 nm, respectively. The maximum responsivity was observed near the film's superconducting transition with the device optimally current-biased in the resistive state. The responsivity of the detector, normalized to its illuminated area and the coupling factor, was 220 A/W(3/spl times/10/sup 4/ V/W), which corresponded to a quantum efficiency of 340. The responsivity was wavelength independent from the far infrared to the ultraviolet range, and was at least two orders of magnitude higher than comparable semiconductor optical detectors. The time constant of the photoresponse signal was 45 ps, when was measured at 2.15 K in the resistive (switched) state using a cryogenic electro-optical sampling technique with subpicosecond resolution. The obtained results agree very well with our calculations performed using a two-temperature model of the electron heating in thin superconducting films. |
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1051-8223 |
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1566 |
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Author |
Lusche, R.; Semenov, A.; Korneeva, Y.; Trifonov, A.; Korneev, A.; Gol'tsman, G.; Hübers, H.-W. |
Title |
Effect of magnetic field on the photon detection in thin superconducting meander structures |
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Journal Article |
Year |
2014 |
Publication |
Phys. Rev. B |
Abbreviated Journal |
Phys. Rev. B |
Volume |
89 |
Issue |
10 |
Pages |
104513 (1 to 7) |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
Abstract |
We have studied the influence of an externally applied magnetic field on the photon and dark count rates of meander-type niobium nitride superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors. Measurements have been performed at a temperature of 4.2 K, and magnetic fields up to 250 mT have been applied perpendicularly to the meander plane. While photon count rates are field independent at weak applied fields, they show a strong dependence at fields starting from approximately ±25 mT. This behavior, as well as the magnetic field dependence of the dark count rates, is in good agreement with the recent theoretical model of vortex-assisted photon detection and spontaneous vortex crossing in narrow superconducting lines. However, the local reduction of the superconducting free energy due to photon absorption, which is the fitting parameter in the model, increases much slower with the photon energy than the model predicts. Furthermore, changes in the free-energy during photon counts and dark counts depend differently on the current that flows through the meander. This indicates that photon counts and dark counts occur in different parts of the meander. |
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1098-0121 |
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1367 |
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Semenov, A.; Engel, A.; Il'in, K.; Gol'tsman, G.; Siegel, M.; Hübers, H.-W. |
Title |
Ultimate performance of a superconducting quantum detector |
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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. |
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1286-0042 |
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534 |
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