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Floet D. W., Gao J. R., Klapwijk T. M., de Korte P. A. J. Bias Dependence of the Thermal Time Constant in Nb Superconducting Diffusion-Cooled HEB Mixers. Appl Phys Lett. 2000;77:1719.
Abstract: We present an experimental study of the intermediate frequency bandwidth of a Nb diffusion-cooled hot-electron bolometer mixer for different bias voltages. The measurements show that the bandwidth increases with increasing voltage. Analysis of the data reveals that this effect is mainly caused by a decrease of the intrinsic thermal time of the mixer and that the effect of electrothermal feedback through the intermediate frequency circuit is small. The results are understood using a qualitative model, which takes into account the different effective diffusion constants in the normal and superconducting domains.
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Bueno J, Coumou PCJJ, Zheng G, de Visser PJ, Klapwijk TM, Driessen EFC, et al. Anomalous response of superconducting titanium nitride resonators to terahertz radiation. Appl. Phys. Lett.. 2014;105:192601 (1 to 5).
Abstract: We present an experimental study of kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) fabricated of atomic layer deposited TiN films and characterized at radiation frequencies of 350 GHz. The responsivity to radiation is measured and found to increase with the increase in radiation powers, opposite to what is expected from theory and observed for hybrid niobium titanium nitride/aluminium (NbTiN/Al) and all-aluminium (all-Al) KIDs. The noise is found to be independent of the level of the radiation power. The noise equivalent power improves with higher radiation powers, also opposite to what is observed and well understood for hybrid NbTiN/Al and all-Al KIDs. We suggest that an inhomogeneous state of these disordered superconductors should be used to explain these observations.
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Shcherbatenko M, Tretyakov I, Lobanov Y, Maslennikov SN, Kaurova N, Finkel M, et al. Nonequilibrium interpretation of DC properties of NbN superconducting hot electron bolometers. Appl. Phys. Lett.. 2016;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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Tarkhov M, Claudon J, Poizat JP, Korneev A, Divochiy A, Minaeva O, et al. Ultrafast reset time of superconducting single photon detectors. Appl Phys Lett. 2008;92(24):241112 (1 to 3).
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Delacour C, Claudon J, Poizat J-P, Pannetier B, Bouchiat V, de Lamaestre RE, et al. Superconducting single photon detectors made by local oxidation with an atomic force microscope. Appl Phys Lett. 2007;90(19):191116 (1 t0 3).
Abstract: The authors present a fabrication technique of superconducting single photon detectors made by local oxidation of niobium nitride ultrathin films. Narrow superconducting meander lines are obtained by direct writing of insulating niobium oxynitride lines through the films using voltage-biased tip of an atomic force microscope. Due to the 30nm resolution of the lithographic technique, the filling factor of the meander line can be made substantially higher than detector of similar geometry made by electron beam lithography, thus leading to increased quantum efficiency. Single photon detection regime of these devices is demonstrated at 4.2K.
The authors thank J.-P. Maneval for stimulating discussions. This work has been partly supported by ACI Nanoscience from French Ministry of Research, D.G.A., by Grant No. 02.445.11.7434 of Russian Ministry of Education and Science, and by the European Commission under project “SINPHONIA,” Contract No. NMP4-CT-2005-16433.
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Lindgren M, Zorin MA, Trifonov V, Danerud M, Winkler D, Karasik BS, et al. Optical mixing in a patterned YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin film. Appl Phys Lett. 1994;65(26):3398–400.
Abstract: Mixing of 1.56 µm infrared radiation from two lasers in a high quality YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin film, patterned to parallel strips, was demonstrated. A mixer bandwidth of 18 GHz, limited by the measurement system, was obtained. A model based on nonequilibrium electron heating gives a good fit to the data and predicts an intrinsic mixer bandwidth in excess of 100 GHz, operating in the whole infrared spectrum. Reduction of bolometric effects and ways to decrease the conversion loss of the mixer is discussed. The minimum conversion loss is expected to be ~10 dB.
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Il’in KS, Milostnaya II, Verevkin AA, Gol’tsman GN, Gershenzon EM, Sobolewski R. Ultimate quantum efficiency of a superconducting hot-electron photodetector. Appl Phys Lett. 1998;73(26):3938–40.
Abstract: The quantum efficiency and current and voltage responsivities of fast hot-electron photodetectors, fabricated from superconducting NbN thin films and biased in the resistive state, have been shown to reach values of 340, 220 A/W, and 4×104 V/W,
respectively, for infrared radiation with a wavelength of 0.79 μm. The characteristics of the photodetectors are presented within the general model, based on relaxation processes in the nonequilibrium electron heating of a superconducting thin film. The observed, very high efficiency and sensitivity of the superconductor absorbing the photon are explained by the high multiplication rate of quasiparticles during the avalanche breaking of Cooper pairs.
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Korneev A, Kouminov P, Matvienko V, Chulkova G, Smirnov K, Voronov B, et al. Sensitivity and gigahertz counting performance of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors. Appl Phys Lett. 2004;84(26):5338–40.
Abstract: We have measured the quantum efficiencysQEd, GHz counting rate, jitter, and noise-equivalentpowersNEPdof nanostructured NbN superconducting single-photon detectorssSSPDsdin thevisible to infrared radiation range. Our 3.5-nm-thick and 100- to 200-nm-wide meander-typedevices(total area 10310mm2), operating at 4.2 K, exhibit an experimental QE of up to 20% inthe visible range and,10% at 1.3 to 1.55mm wavelength and are potentially sensitive up tomidinfrareds,10mmdradiation. The SSPD counting rate was measured to be above 2 GHz withjitter,18 ps, independent of the wavelength. The devices’ NEP varies from,10−17W/Hz1/2for1.55mm photons to,10−20W/Hz1/2for visible radiation. Lowering the SSPD operatingtemperature to 2.3 K significantly enhanced its performance, by increasing the QE to,20% andlowering the NEP level to,3310−22W/Hz1/2, both measured at 1.26mm wavelength.
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Il'in KS, Lindgren M, Currie MA, Semenov D, Gol'tsman GN, Sobolewski R, et al. Picosecond hot-electron energy relaxation in NbN superconducting photodetectors. Appl Phys Lett. 2000;76(19):2752–4.
Abstract: We report time-resolved characterization of superconducting NbN hot-electron photodetectors using an electro-optic sampling method. Our samples were patterned into micron-size microbridges from 3.5-nm-thick NbN films deposited on sapphire substrates. The devices were illuminated with 100 fs optical pulses, and the photoresponse was measured in the ambient temperature range between 2.15 and 10.6 K (superconducting temperature transition TC). The experimental data agreed very well with the nonequilibrium hot-electron, two-temperature model. The quasiparticle thermalization time was ambient temperature independent and was measured to be 6.5 ps. The inelastic electron–phonon scattering time Ï„e–ph tended to decrease with the temperature increase, although its change remained within the experimental error, while the phonon escape time Ï„es decreased almost by a factor of two when the sample was put in direct contact with superfluid helium. Specifically, Ï„e–ph and Ï„es, fitted by the two-temperature model, were equal to 11.6 and 21 ps at 2.15 K, and 10(±2) and 38 ps at 10.5 K, respectively. The obtained value of Ï„e–ph shows that the maximum intermediate frequency bandwidth of NbN hot-electron phonon-cooled mixers operating at TC can reach 16(+4/–3) GHz if one eliminates the bolometric phonon-heating effect.
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Ferrari S, Kahl O, Kovalyuk V, Goltsman GN, Korneev A, Pernice WHP. Waveguide-integrated single- and multi-photon detection at telecom wavelengths using superconducting nanowires. Appl Phys Lett. 2015;106(15):151101 (1 to 5).
Abstract: We investigate single- and multi-photon detection regimes of superconducting nanowire detectors embedded in silicon nitride nanophotonic circuits. At near-infrared wavelengths, simultaneous detection of up to three photons is observed for 120 nm wide nanowires biased far from the critical current, while narrow nanowires below 100 nm provide efficient single photon detection. A theoretical model is proposed to determine the different detection regimes and to calculate the corresponding internal quantum efficiency. The predicted saturation of the internal quantum efficiency in the single photon regime agrees well with plateau behavior observed at high bias currents.
W. H. P. Pernice acknowledges support by the DFG Grant Nos. PE 1832/1-1 and PE 1832/1-2 and the Helmholtz society through Grant No. HIRG-0005. The Ph.D. education of O. Kahl is embedded in the Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics (KSOP). G. N. Goltsman acknowledges support by Russian Federation President Grant HШ-1918.2014.2 and Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Contract No.: RFMEFI58614X0007. A. Korneev acknowledges support by Statement Task No. 3.1846.2014/k. V. Kovalyuk acknowledges support by Statement Task No. 2327. We also acknowledge support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the State of Baden-Württemberg through the DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures (CFN) within subproject A6.4. We thank S. Kühn and S. Diewald for the help with device fabrication as well as B. Voronov and A. Shishkin for help with NbN thin film deposition and A. Semenov for helpful discussion about the detection mechanism of nanowire SSPD's.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
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