Records |
Author |
Goltsman, G.; Korneev, A.; Minaeva, O.; Rubtsova, I.; Chulkova, G.; Milostnaya, I.; Smirnov, K.; Voronov, B.; Lipatov, A. P.; Pearlman, A. J.; Cross, A.; Slysz, W.; Verevkin, A. A.; Sobolewski, R. |
Title |
Advanced nanostructured optical NbN single-photon detector operated at 2.0 K |
Type |
Conference Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Proc. SPIE |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. SPIE |
Volume |
5732 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
520-529 |
Keywords |
NbN SSPD, SNSPD |
Abstract |
We present our studies on quantum efficiency (QE), dark counts, and noise equivalent power (NEP) of the latest generation of nanostructured NbN superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) operated at 2.0 K. Our SSPDs are based on 4 nm-thick NbN films, patterned by electron beam lithography as highly-uniform 100÷120-nm-wide meander-shaped stripes, covering the total area of 10x10 μm2 with the meander filling factor of 0.7. Advances in the fabrication process and low-temperature operation lead to QE as high as 30-40% for visible-light photons (0.56 μm wavelength)-the saturation value, limited by optical absorption of the NbN film. For 1.55 μm photons, QE was 20% and decreased exponentially with the wavelength reaching 0.02% at the 5-μm wavelength. Being operated at 2.0-K temperature the SSPDs revealed an exponential decrease of the dark count rate, what along with the high QE, resulted in the NEP as low as 5x10-21 W/Hz-1/2, the lowest value ever reported for near-infrared optical detectors. The SSPD counting rate was measured to be above 1 GHz with the pulse-to-pulse jitter below 20 ps. Our nanostructured NbN SSPDs operated at 2.0 K significantly outperform their semiconducting counterparts and find practical applications ranging from noninvasive testing of CMOS VLSI integrated circuits to ultrafast quantum communications and quantum cryptography. |
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Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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Publisher |
Spie |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
Razeghi, M.; Brown, G.J. |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
Quantum Sensing and Nanophotonic Devices II |
Notes |
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Approved |
no |
Call Number |
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Serial |
1478 |
Permanent link to this record |
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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. |
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Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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Publisher |
SPIE |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
Ricklin, J.C.; Voelz, D.G. |
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Area |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
Free-Space Laser Communication and Laser Imaging II |
Notes |
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Approved |
no |
Call Number |
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Serial |
1523 |
Permanent link to this record |