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Lusche, R., Semenov, A., Huebers, H. - W., Ilin, K., Siegel, M., Korneeva, Y., et al. (2013). Effect of the wire geometry and an externally applied magnetic field on the detection efficiency of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors. In INIS (Vol. 46, pp. 1–3).
Abstract: The interest in single-photon detectors in the near-infrared wavelength regime for applications, e.g. in quantum cryptography has immensely increased in the last years. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD) already show quite reasonable detection efficiencies in the NIR which can even be further improved. Novel theoretical approaches including vortex-assisted photon counting state that the detection efficiency in the long wavelength region can be enhanced by the detector geometry and an applied magnetic field. We present spectral measurements in the wavelength range from 350-2500 nm of the detection efficiency of meander-type TaN and NbN SNSPD with varying nanowire line width from 80 to 250 nm. Due to the used experimental setup we can accurately normalize the measured spectra and are able to extract the intrinsic detection efficiency (IDE) of our detectors. The results clearly indicate an improvement of the IDE depending on the wire width according to the theoretic models. Furthermore we experimentally found that the smallest detectable photon-flux can be increased by applying a small magnetic field to the detectors.
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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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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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Goltsman, G. N., Shcherbatenko, M. L., Lobanov, Y. V., Kovalyuk, V. V., Kahl, O., Ferrari, S., et al. (2016). Superconducting nanowire single photon detector for coherent detection of weak optical signals. In LPHYS'16 (pp. 1–2).
Abstract: Traditionally, photon detectors are operated in a direct detection mode counting incident photonswith a known quantum efficiency. This procedure allows one to detect weak sources of radiation but allthe information about its frequency is limited by the optical filtering/resonating structures used which arenot as precise as would be required for some practical applications. In this work we propose heterodynereceiver based on a photon counting mixer which would combine excellent sensitivity of a photon countingdetector and excellent spectral resolution given by the heterodyne technique. At present, Superconducting-Nanowire-Single-Photon-Detectors (SNSPDs) [1] are widely used in a variety of applications providing thebest possible combination of the sensitivity and speed. SNSPDs demonstrate lack of drawbacks like highdark count rate or autopulsing, which are common for traditional semiconductor-based photon detectors,such as avalanche photon diodes.In our study we have investigated SNSPD operated as a photon counting mixer. To fully understandits behavior in such a regime, we have utilized experimental setup based on a couple of distributedfeedback lasers irradiating at 1.5 micrometers, one of which is being the Local Oscillator (LO) and theother mimics the test signal [2]. The SNSPD was operated in the current mode and the bias currentwas slightly below of the critical current. Advantageously, we have found that LO power needed for anoptimal mixing is of the order of hundreds of femtowatts to a few picowatts, which is promising for manypractical applications, such as receiver matrices [3]. With use of the two lasers, one can observe thevoltage pulses produced by the detected photons, and the time distribution of the pulses reproduces thefrequency difference between the lasers, forming power response at the intermediate frequency which canbe captured by either an oscilloscope (an analysis of the pulse statistics is needed) or by an RF spectrumanalyzer. Photon-counting nature of the detector ensures quantum-limited sensitivity with respect to theoptical coupling achieved. In addition to the chip SNSPD with normal incidence coupling, we use thedetectors with a travelling wave geometry design [4]. In this case a NbN nanowire is placed on the topof a Si3N4 nanophotonic waveguide, thus increasing the efficient interaction length. For this reason it ispossible to achieve almost complete absorption of photons and reduce the detector footprint. This reducesthe noise of the device together with the expansion of the bandwidth. Integrated device scheme allowsus to measure the optical losses with high accuracy. Our approach is fully scalable and, along with alarge number of devices integrated on a single chip can be adapted to the mid and far IR ranges wherephoton-counting measurement may be beneficial as well [5].Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by the Ministry of Education and Science of theRussian Federation, contract No. 14.B25.31.0007 and by RFBR grant No. 16-32-00465.
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Kitaygorsky, J., Komissarov, I., Jukna, A., Sobolewski, R., Minaeva, O., Kaurova, N., et al. (2006). Nanosecond, transient resistive state in two-dimensional superconducting stripes. In Proc. APS March Meeting (H38.13).
Abstract: We have observed, nanosecond-in-duration, transient voltage pulses, generated across two-dimensional (2-D) NbN stripes (width: 100--500 nm; thickness: 3.5--10 nm) of various lengths (1--500 μm), when the wires were completely isolated from the outside world, biased at currents close to the critical current, and kept at temperatures below the mean-field critical temperature Tco. In 2-D superconducting films, at temperatures below the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, all vortices are bound and the resistance is zero. However, these vortices can get unbound when a large enough transport current is applied. The latter results in a transient resistive state, which manifests itself as spontaneous, 2.5--8-ns-long voltage pulses with the amplitude corresponding to the unbinding potential of a vortex pair. In our 100-nm-wide stripes, we have also observed the formation of phase slip centers (PSCs) at temperatures close to Tco, and a mixture of PSCs and unbound vortex-antivortex pairs at low temperatures.
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