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Smirnov K, Vachtomin Y, Divochiy A, Antipov A, Goltsman G. The limitation of noise equivalent power by background radiation for infrared superconducting single photon detectors coupled to standard single mode optical fibers. Rus J Radio Electron. 2015;(5).
Abstract: We investigated the minimum level of the dark count rates and noise equivalent power of superconducting single photon detectors coupled to standard single mode optical fibers. We found that background radiation limits the minimum level of the dark count rates. We also proposed the effective method for reducing background radiation out of the required spectral range of the detector. Measured noise equivalent power of detector reaches 8.9×10-19 W×Hz1/2 at a wavelength of 1.55 μm and quantum efficiency 35%.
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Semenov AV, Devyatov IA, Korneev AA, Smirnov KV, Goltsman GN, Melnikov AP. Derivation of expression for thermodynamic potential of “dirty” superconductor. Rus J Radio Electron. 2012;(4).
Abstract: We derive a formula for thermodynamic potential of dirty superconductor which express it via isotropic quasiclassical Green functions of Usadel theory. Our result allows unify description of dynamic processes and fluctuations in superconducting nano-electronic devices.
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Tretyakov IV, Finkel MI, Ryabchun SA, Kardakova AI, Seliverstov SV, Petrenko DV, et al. Hot-electron bolometer mixers with in situ contacts. Radiophys Quant Electron. 2014;56(8-9):591–8.
Abstract: We report on the latest achievements in the development of superconducting hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers for terahertz superheterodyne receivers. We consider application ranges of such receivers and requirements for the basic characteristics of the mixers. Main features of the mixers, such as noise temperature, gain bandwidth, noise bandwidth, and required local-oscillator power, have been improved significantly over the past few years due to intense research work, both in terms of the element fabrication quality and in terms of understanding of the physics of the processes occurring in the HEB mixers. Contacts between the superconducting bridge and the planar antenna play a key role in the mixer operation. Improvement of the quality of the contacts leads simultaneously to a decrease in the noise temperature and an increase in the gain bandwidth of a mixer.
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Tretyakov IV, Anfertyev VA, Revin LS, Kaurova NS, Voronov BM, Vaks VL, et al. Sensitivity and resolution of a heterodyne receiver based on the NbN HEB mixer with a quantum-cascade laser as a local oscillator. Radiophys Quant Electron. 2018;60(12):988–92.
Abstract: We present the results of experimental studies of the basic characteristics and operation features of a terahertz heterodyne detector based on the superconducting NbN HEB mixer and a quantum cascade laser as a local oscillator operating at a frequency of 2.02 THz. The measured noise temperature of such a mixer amounted to 1500 K. The spectral resolution of the detector is determined by the width of the local-oscillator spectral line whose measured value does not exceed 1 MHz. The quantum-cascade laser could be linearly tuned with respect to frequency with the coefficient 7.2 MHz/mA within the limits of the current oscillation bandwidth.
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Seliverstov SV, Anfertyev VA, Tretyakov IV, Ozheredov IA, Solyankin PM, Revin LS, et al. Terahertz heterodyne receiver with an electron-heating mixer and a heterodyne based on the quantum-cascade laser. Radiophys Quant Electron. 2017;60(7):518–24.
Abstract: We study characteristics of the laboratory prototype of a terahertz heterodyne receiver with an electron-heating mixer and a heterodyne based on the quantum-cascade laser. The results obtained demonstrate the possibility to use this receiver as a basis for creation of a high-sensitivity terahertz spectrometer, which can be used in many basic and practical applications. A significant advantage of this receiver will be the possibility of placing the mixer and heterodyne in the same cryostat, which will reduce the device dimensions considerably. The obtained experimental results are analyzed, and methods of optimizing the parameters of the receiver are proposed.
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Ozhegov RV, Gorshkov KN, Vachtomin YB, Smirnov KV, Finkel MI, Goltsman GN, et al. Terahertz imaging system based on superconducting heterodyne integrated receiver. In: Corsi C, Sizov F, editors. Proc. THz and Security Applications. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands; 2014. p. 113–25.
Abstract: The development of terahertz imaging instruments for security systems is on the cutting edge of terahertz technology. We are developing a THz imaging system based on a superconducting integrated receiver (SIR). An SIR is a new type of heterodyne receiver based on an SIS mixer integrated with a flux-flow oscillator (FFO) and a harmonic mixer which is used for phase-locking the FFO. Employing an SIR in an imaging system means building an entirely new instrument with many advantages compared to traditional systems.
In this project we propose a prototype THz imaging system using an 1 pixel SIR and 2D scanner. At a local oscillator frequency of 500 GHz the best noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) of the SIR is 10 mK at an integration time of 1 s and a detection bandwidth of 4 GHz. The scanner consists of two rotating flat mirrors placed in front of the antenna consisting of a spherical primary reflector and an aspherical secondary reflector. The diameter of the primary reflector is 0.3 m. The operating frequency of the imaging system is 600 GHz, the frame rate is 0.1 FPS, the scanning area is 0.5 × 0.5 m2, the image resolution is 50 × 50 pixels, the distance from an object to the scanner was 3 m. We have obtained THz images with a spatial resolution of 8 mm and a NETD of less than 2 K.
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Korneev A, Divochiy A, Marsili F, Bitauld D, Fiore A, Seleznev V, et al. Superconducting photon number resolving counter for near infrared applications. In: Tománek P, Senderáková D, Hrabovský M, editors. Proc. SPIE. Vol 7138. Spie; 2008. 713828 (1 to 5).
Abstract: We present a novel concept of photon number resolving detector based on 120-nm-wide superconducting stripes made of 4-nm-thick NbN film and connected in parallel (PNR-SSPD). The detector consisting of 5 strips demonstrate a capability to resolve up to 4 photons absorbed simultaneously with the single-photon quantum efficiency of 2.5% and negligibly low dark count rate.
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Ozhegov R, Elezov M, Kurochkin Y, Kurochkin V, Divochiy A, Kovalyuk V, et al. Quantum key distribution over 300. In: Orlikovsky AA, editor. Proc. SPIE. Vol 9440. SPIE; 2014. 1F (1 to 9).
Abstract: We discuss the possibility of polarization state reconstruction and measurement over 302 km by Superconducting Single- Photon Detectors (SSPDs). Because of the excellent characteristics and the possibility to be effectively coupled to singlemode optical fiber many applications of the SSPD have already been reported. The most impressive one is the quantum key distribution (QKD) over 250 km distance. This demonstration shows further possibilities for the improvement of the characteristics of quantum-cryptographic systems such as increasing the bit rate and the quantum channel length, and decreasing the quantum bit error rate (QBER). This improvement is possible because SSPDs have the best characteristics in comparison with other single-photon detectors. We have demonstrated the possibility of polarization state reconstruction and measurement over 302.5 km with superconducting single-photon detectors. The advantage of an autocompensating optical scheme, also known as “plugandplay” for quantum key distribution, is high stability in the presence of distortions along the line. To increase the distance of quantum key distribution with this optical scheme we implement the superconducting single photon detectors (SSPD). At the 5 MHz pulse repetition frequency and the average photon number equal to 0.4 we measured a 33 bit/s quantum key generation for a 101.7 km single mode ber quantum channel. The extremely low SSPD dark count rate allowed us to keep QBER at 1.6% level.
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Shcherbatenko M, Lobanov Y, Semenov A, Kovalyuk V, Korneev A, Ozhegov R, et al. Coherent detection of weak signals with superconducting nanowire single photon detector at the telecommunication wavelength. In: Prochazka I, Sobolewski R, James RB, editors. Proc. SPIE. Vol 10229. Spie; 2017. 0G (1 to 12).
Abstract: Achievement of the ultimate sensitivity along with a high spectral resolution is one of the frequently addressed problems, as the complication of the applied and fundamental scientific tasks being explored is growing up gradually. In our work, we have investigated performance of a superconducting nanowire photon-counting detector operating in the coherent mode for detection of weak signals at the telecommunication wavelength. Quantum-noise limited sensitivity of the detector was ensured by the nature of the photon-counting detection and restricted by the quantum efficiency of the detector only. Spectral resolution given by the heterodyne technique and was defined by the linewidth and stability of the Local Oscillator (LO). Response bandwidth was found to coincide with the detector’s pulse width, which, in turn, could be controlled by the nanowire length. In addition, the system noise bandwidth was shown to be governed by the electronics/lab equipment, and the detector noise bandwidth is predicted to depend on its jitter. As have been demonstrated, a very small amount of the LO power (of the order of a few picowatts down to hundreds of femtowatts) was required for sufficient detection of the test signal, and eventual optimization could lead to further reduction of the LO power required, which would perfectly suit for the foreseen development of receiver matrices and the need for detection of ultra-low signals at a level of less-than-one-photon per second.
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Korneev A, Korneeva Y, Florya I, Voronov B, Goltsman G. Spectral sensitivity of narrow strip NbN superconducting single-photon detector. In: Fiurásek J, Prochazka I, editors. Proc. SPIE. Vol 8072. SPIE; 2011. 80720G (1 to 9).
Abstract: Superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD) is patterned from 4-nm-thick NbN film deposited on sapphire substrate as a 100-nm-wide strip. Due to its high detection efficiency, low dark counts, and picosecond timing jitter SSPD has become a competitor to the InGaAs avalanche photodiodes at 1550 nm and longer wavelengths. Although the SSPD is operated at liquid helium temperature its efficient single-mode fibre coupling enabled its usage in many applications ranging from single-photon sources research to quantum cryptography. In our strive to increase the detection efficiency at 1550 nm and longer wavelengths we developed and fabricated SSPD with the strip almost twice narrower compared to the standard 100 nm. To increase the voltage response of the device we utilized cascade switching mechanism: we connected 50-nm-wide and 10-μm-long strips in parallel covering the area of 10 μmx10 μm. Absorption of a photon breaks the superconductivity in a strip leading to the bias current redistribution between other strips followed their cascade switching. As the total current of all the strips about is 1 mA by the order of magnitude the response voltage of such an SSPD is several times higher compared to the traditional meander-shaped SSPDs. In middle infrared (about 3 μm wavelength) these devices have the detection efficiency several times higher compared to the traditional SSPDs.
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