Tretyakov, I., Svyatodukh, S., Perepelitsa, A., Ryabchun, S., Kaurova, N., Shurakov, A., et al. (2020). Ag2S QDs/Si heterostructure-based ultrasensitive SWIR range detector. Nanomaterials (Basel), 10(5), 1–12.
Abstract: In the 20(th) century, microelectronics was revolutionized by silicon-its semiconducting properties finally made it possible to reduce the size of electronic components to a few nanometers. The ability to control the semiconducting properties of Si on the nanometer scale promises a breakthrough in the development of Si-based technologies. In this paper, we present the results of our experimental studies of the photovoltaic effect in Ag2S QD/Si heterostructures in the short-wave infrared range. At room temperature, the Ag2S/Si heterostructures offer a noise-equivalent power of 1.1 x 10(-10) W/ radicalHz. The spectral analysis of the photoresponse of the Ag2S/Si heterostructures has made it possible to identify two main mechanisms behind it: the absorption of IR radiation by defects in the crystalline structure of the Ag2S QDs or by quantum QD-induced surface states in Si. This study has demonstrated an effective and low-cost way to create a sensitive room temperature SWIR photodetector which would be compatible with the Si complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology.
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Tretyakov, I., Shurakov, A., Perepelitsa, A., Kaurova, N., Svyatodukh, S., Zilberley, T., et al. (2019). Room temperature silicon detector for IR range coated with Ag2S quantum dots. Phys. Status Solidi RRL, 13(9), 1900187–(1–6).
Abstract: For decades, silicon has been the chief technological semiconducting material of modern microelectronics and has a strong influence on all aspects of the society. Applications of Si-based optoelectronic devices are limited to the visible and near infrared (IR) ranges. For photons with an energy less than 1.12 eV, silicon is almost transparent. The expansion of the Si absorption to shorter wavelengths of the IR range is of considerable interest for optoelectronic applications. By creating impurity states in Si, it is possible to cause sub-bandgap photon absorption. Herein, an elegant and effective technology of extending the photo-response of Si toward the IR range is presented. This approach is based on the use of Ag 2 S quantum dots (QDs) planted on the surface of Si to create impurity states in the Si bandgap. The specific sensitivity of the room temperature zero-bias Si_Ag 2 Sp detector is 10 11 cm Hz W 1 at 1.55 μm. Given the variety of available QDs and the ease of extending the photo-response of Si toward the IR range, these findings open a path toward future studies and development of Si detectors for technological applications. The current research at the interface of physics and chemistry is also of fundamental importance to the development of Si optoelectronics.
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Kovalyuk, V., Ferrari, S., Kahl, O., Semenov, A., Shcherbatenko, M., Lobanov, Y., et al. (2017). On-chip coherent detection with quantum limited sensitivity. Sci Rep, 7(1), 4812.
Abstract: While single photon detectors provide superior intensity sensitivity, spectral resolution is usually lost after the detection event. Yet for applications in low signal infrared spectroscopy recovering information about the photon's frequency contributions is essential. Here we use highly efficient waveguide integrated superconducting single-photon detectors for on-chip coherent detection. In a single nanophotonic device, we demonstrate both single-photon counting with up to 86% on-chip detection efficiency, as well as heterodyne coherent detection with spectral resolution f/f exceeding 10(11). By mixing a local oscillator with the single photon signal field, we observe frequency modulation at the intermediate frequency with ultra-low local oscillator power in the femto-Watt range. By optimizing the nanowire geometry and the working parameters of the detection scheme, we reach quantum-limited sensitivity. Our approach enables to realize matrix integrated heterodyne nanophotonic devices in the C-band wavelength range, for classical and quantum optics applications where single-photon counting as well as high spectral resolution are required simultaneously.
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Trifonov, A., Tong, C. - Y. E., Grimes, P., Lobanov, Y., Kaurova, N., Blundell, R., et al. (2017). Development of A Silicon Membrane-based Multi-pixel Hot Electron Bolometer Receiver. In IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. (Vol. 27, 6).
Abstract: We report on the development of a multi-pixel
Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) receiver fabricated using
silicon membrane technology. The receiver comprises a
2 × 2 array of four HEB mixers, fabricated on a single
chip. The HEB mixer chip is based on a superconducting
NbN thin film deposited on top of the silicon-on-insulator
(SOI) substrate. The thicknesses of the device layer and
handling layer of the SOI substrate are 20 μm and 300 μm
respectively. The thickness of the device layer is chosen
such that it corresponds to a quarter-wave in silicon at
1.35 THz. The HEB mixer is integrated with a bow-tie
antenna structure, in turn designed for coupling to a
circular waveguide,
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Shcherbatenko, M., Tretyakov, I., Lobanov, Y., Maslennikov, S. N., Kaurova, N., Finkel, M., et al. (2016). Nonequilibrium interpretation of DC properties of NbN superconducting hot electron bolometers. Appl. Phys. Lett., 109(13), 132602.
Abstract: We present a physically consistent interpretation of the dc electrical properties of niobiumnitride (NbN)-based superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixers, using concepts of nonequilibrium superconductivity. Through this, we clarify what physical information can be extracted from the resistive transition and the dc current-voltage characteristics, measured at suitably chosen temperatures, and relevant for device characterization and optimization. We point out that the intrinsic spatial variation of the electronic properties of disordered superconductors, such as NbN, leads to a variation from device to device.
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Tret'yakov, I. V., Kaurova, N. S., Voronov, B. M., Anfert'ev, V. A., Revin, L. S., Vaks, V. L., et al. (2016). The influence of the diffusion cooling on the noise band of the superconductor NbN hot-electron bolometer operating in the terahertz range. Tech. Phys. Lett., 42(6), 563–566.
Abstract: Results of an experimental study of the noise temperature (Tn) and noise bandwidth (NBW) of the superconductor NbN hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer as a function of its temperature (Tb) are presented. It was determined that the NBW of the mixer is significantly wider at temperatures close to the critical ones (Tc) than are values measured at 4.2 K. The NBW of the mixer measured at the heterodyne frequency of 2.5 THz at temperature Tb close to Tc was ~13 GHz, as compared with 6 GHz at Tb = 4.2 K. This experiment clearly demonstrates the limitation of the thermal flow from the NbN bridge at Tb â‰<aa> Tc for mixers manufactured by the in situ technique. This limitation is close in its nature to the Andreev reflection on the superconductor/ metal boundary. In this case, the noise temperature of the studied mixer increased from 1100 to 3800 K.
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Korneev, A., Divochiy, A., Tarkhov, M., Minaeva, O., Seleznev, V., Kaurova, N., et al. (2008). Superconducting NbN-nanowire single-photon detectors capable of photon number resolving. In Supercond. News Forum.
Abstract: We present our latest generation of ultra-fast superconducting NbN single-photon detectors (SSPD) capable of photon-number resolving (PNR). The novel SSPDs combine 10 μm x 10 μm active area with low kinetic inductance and PNR capability. That resulted in significantly reduced photoresponse pulse duration, allowing for GHz counting rates. The detector’s response magnitude is directly proportional to the number of incident photons, which makes this feature easy to use. We present experimental data on the performance of the PNR SSPDs. These detectors are perfectly suited for fibreless free-space telecommunications, as well as for ultra-fast quantum cryptography and quantum computing.
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Goltsman, G. N., Korneev, A. A., Finkel, M. I., Divochiy, A. V., Florya, I. N., Korneeva, Y. P., et al. (2010). Superconducting hot-electron bolometer as THz mixer, direct detector and IR single-photon counter. In 35th Int. Conf. Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (p. 1).
Abstract: We present a new generation of superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) and hot-electron superconducting sensors with record characteristic for many terahertz and optical applications.
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Kitaygorsky, J., Komissarov, I., Jukna, A., Minaeva, O., Kaurova, N., Divochiy, A., et al. (2007). Fluctuations in two-dimensional superconducting NbN nanobridges and nanostructures meanders. In Proc. APS March Meeting (Vol. 52, L9.00013).
Abstract: We have observed fluctuations, manifested as sub-nanosecond to nanosecond transient, millivolt-amplitude voltage pulses, generated in two-dimensional NbN nanobridges, as well as in extended superconducting meander nanostructures, designed for single photon counting. Both nanobridges and nano-stripe meanders were biased at currents close to the critical current and measured in a range of temperatures from 1.5 to 8 K. During the tests, the devices were blocked from all incoming radiation by a metallic enclosure and shielded from any external magnetic fields. We attribute the observed spontaneous voltage pulses to the Kosterlitz-Thouless-type fluctuations, where the high enough applied bias current reduces the binding energy of vortex-antivortex pairs and, subsequently, thermal fluctuations break them apart causing the order parameter to momentarily reduce to zero, which in turn causes a transient voltage pulse. The duration of the voltage pulses depended on the device geometry (with the high-kinetic inductance meander structures having longer, nanosecond, pulses) while their rate was directly related to the biasing current as well as temperature.
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Seliverstov, S., Maslennikov, S., Ryabchun, S., Finkel, M., Klapwijk, T. M., Kaurova, N., et al. (2015). Fast and sensitive terahertz direct detector based on superconducting antenna-coupled hot electron bolometer. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 25(3), 2300304.
Abstract: We characterize superconducting antenna-coupled hot-electron bolometers for direct detection of terahertz radiation operating at a temperature of 9.0 K. The estimated value of responsivity obtained from lumped-element theory is strongly different from the measured one. A numerical calculation of the detector responsivity is developed, using the Euler method, applied to the system of heat balance equations written in recurrent form. This distributed element model takes into account the effect of nonuniform heating of the detector along its length and provides results that are in better agreement with the experiment. At a signal frequency of 2.5 THz, the measured value of the optical detector noise equivalent power is 2.0 × 10-13 W · Hz-0.5. The value of the bolometer time constant is 35 ps. The corresponding energy resolution is about 3 aJ. This detector has a sensitivity similar to that of the state-of-the-art sub-millimeter detectors operating at accessible cryogenic temperatures, but with a response time several orders of magnitude shorter.
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