Marsili, F., Najafi, F., Dauler, E., Bellei, F., Hu, X., Csete, M., et al. (2011). Single-photon detectors based on ultranarrow superconducting nanowires. Nano Lett., 11(5), 2048–2053.
Abstract: We report efficient single-photon detection (η = 20% at 1550 nm wavelength) with ultranarrow (20 and 30 nm wide) superconducting nanowires, which were shown to be more robust to constrictions and more responsive to 1550 nm wavelength photons than standard superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, based on 90 nm wide nanowires. We also improved our understanding of the physics of superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors, which we used to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of ultranarrow-nanowire detectors by a factor of 4, thus relaxing the requirements on the read-out circuitry and making the devices suitable for a broader range of applications.
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Korneev, A., Vachtomin, Y., Minaeva, O., Divochiy, A., Smirnov, K., Okunev, O., et al. (2007). Single-photon detection system for quantum optics applications. IEEE J. Select. Topics Quantum Electron., 13(4), 944–951.
Abstract: We describe the design and characterization of a fiber-coupled double-channel single-photon detection system based on superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD), and its application for quantum optics experiments on semiconductor nanostructures. When operated at 2-K temperature, the system shows 10% quantum efficiency at 1.3-¿m wavelength with dark count rate below 10 counts per second and timing resolution <100 ps. The short recovery time and absence of afterpulsing leads to counting frequencies as high as 40 MHz. Moreover, the low dark count rate allows operation in continuous mode (without gating). These characteristics are very attractive-as compared to InGaAs avalanche photodiodes-for quantum optics experiments at telecommunication wavelengths. We demonstrate the use of the system in time-correlated fluorescence spectroscopy of quantum wells and in the measurement of the intensity correlation function of light emitted by semiconductor quantum dots at 1300 nm.
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Tarkhov, M., Morozov, D., Mauskopf, P., Seleznev, V., Korneev, A., Kaurova, N., et al. (2006). Single photon counting detector for THz radioastronomy. In Proc. 17th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 119–122).
Abstract: In this paper we present the results of the research on the superconducting NbN-ultrathin-film single- photon detectors (SSPD) which are capable to detect single quanta in middle IR range. The detection mechanism is based on the hotspot formation in quasi-two-dimensional superconducting structures upon photon absorption. Spectral measurements showed that up to 5.7 gm wavelength (52 THz) the SSPD exhibits single-photon sensitivity. Reduction of operation temperature to 1.6 K allowed us to measure quantum efficiency of -4% at 60 THz. Although further decrease of the operation temperature far below 1 K does not lead to any significant increase of quantum efficiency. We expect that the improvement of the SSPD's performance at reduced operation temperature will make SSPD a practical detector with high characteristics for much lower THz frequencies as well.
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Sclafani, M., Marksteiner, M., Keir, F. M. L., Divochiy, A., Korneev, A., Semenov, A., et al. (2012). Sensitivity of a superconducting nanowire detector for single ions at low energy. Nanotechnol., 23(6), 065501 (1 to 5).
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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Smirnov, K. V., Divochiy, A. V., Vakhtomin, Y. B., Sidorova, M. V., Karpova, U. V., Morozov, P. V., et al. (2016). Rise time of voltage pulses in NbN superconducting single photon detectors. Appl. Phys. Lett., 109(5), 052601.
Abstract: We have found experimentally that the rise time of voltage pulse in NbN superconducting single photon detectors increases nonlinearly with increasing the length of the detector L. The effect is connected with dependence of resistance of the detector Rn, which appears after photon absorption, on its kinetic inductance Lk and, hence, on the length of the detector. This conclusion is confirmed by our calculations in the framework of two temperature model.
D.Yu.V. acknowledges the support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project No. 15-42-02365). K.V.S. acknowledges the financial support from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (Contract No. 3.2655.2014/K).
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